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78–949PDF 2002

AMENDING THE MICROENTERPRISE FOR SELF-RELIANCE ACT OF

2000 AND THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961, INCREASING ASSISTANCE FOR THE POOREST PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES UNDER MICROENTERPRISE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UNDER THOSE ACTS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES;

AND THE FREEDOM PROMOTION ACT OF 2002

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H.R. 4073 and H.R. 3969

APRIL 25, 2002

Serial No. 107–88

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman 

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York 

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa 

DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

DAN BURTON, Indiana 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California 

PETER T. KING, New York 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

AMO HOUGHTON, New York 

JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York 

JOHN COOKSEY, Louisiana 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado 

RON PAUL, Texas 

NICK SMITH, Michigan 

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

ERIC CANTOR, Virginia 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

BRIAN D. KERNS, Indiana 

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia 

MARK GREEN, Wisconsin 

TOM LANTOS, California 

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California 

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey 

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio 

CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY, Georgia 

EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

JIM DAVIS, Florida 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

BARBARA LEE, California 

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York 

JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

GRACE NAPOLITANO, California 

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California 

DIANE E. WATSON, California 

THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel 

ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director 

DOUG SEAY, Professional Staff Member 

LIBERTY DUNN, Staff Associate 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

Markup of H.R. 4073, To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act 

of 2000 and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to increase assistance 

for the poorest people in developing countries under microenterprise assistance programs under those Acts, and for other purposes ................................. 1

Text of H.R. 4073 ..................................................................................................... 2

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 4073, offered by the 

Honorable Christopher H. Smith (for himself and Mr. Roemer), a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey ..................................... 9

Markup of H.R. 3969, the Freedom Promotion Act of 2002 ................................. 21

Text of H.R. 3969 ..................................................................................................... 22

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, offered by the 

Honorable Henry J. Hyde (for himself and Mr. Lantos and Mr. Berman), 

a Representative in Congress from the State of Illinois, and Chairman, 

Committee on International Relations ............................................................... 73

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, 

offered by the Honorable Tom Lantos (for himself and Mr. Schiff and 

Mr. Engel), a Representative in Congress from the State of California .......... 119

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, 

ofered by the Honorable Jeff Flake (for himself and Mr. Delahunt), a 

Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona ..................................... 128

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, 

offered by the Honorable Christopher H. Smith ............................................... 151

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, 

offered by the Honorable Howard L. Berman (for himself and Mr. Cantor), 

a Representative in Congress from the State of California .............................. 153

Amendment to the Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 3969, 

offered by the Honorable Joseph Crowley, a Representative in Congress 

from the State of New York ................................................................................ 158

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

The Honorable Tom Lantos: Prepared Statement on H.R. 4073 ......................... 8

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde: Prepared statement on H.R. 3969 ..................... 70

The Honorable Jeff Flake: Material submitted for the record ............................. 132

APPENDIX 

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde: Materials submitted in support of H.R. 3969 ... 161

The Honorable Joseph R. Pitts, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Pennsylvania: Prepared statement on H.R. 4073 ......................................... 162

The Honorable Howard L. Berman: Prepared statement on H.R. 4073 ............. 162

The Honorable Barbara Lee, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of California: Prepared statement on H.R. 4073 ............................................... 163

(1)

AMENDING THE MICROENTERPRISE FOR SELF-RELIANCE 

ACT OF 2000 AND THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961, 

INCREASING ASSISTANCE FOR THE POOREST PEOPLE IN 

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES UNDER MICROENTERPRISE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS UNDER THOSE ACTS, AND FOR 

OTHER PURPOSES; AND THE FREEDOM PROMOTION ACT 

OF 2002

THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:08 a.m. in Room 

2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Henry Hyde (Chairman 

of the Committee) presiding. 

Chairman HYDE. Pursuant to notice, I call up H.R. 4073, ‘‘To 

amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 and the 

Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to increase assistance for the poorest people in developing countries under microenterprise assistance 

programs under those acts, and for other purposes,’’ for purposes 

of markup and move its favorable recommendation to the House. 

Without objection, the bill will be considered as read, and open for 

amendment at any point. And the Chair recognizes Mr. Smith to 

present a statement. 

[The bill, H.R. 4073, follows:]

2

1

I 

107TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4073

To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 and the Foreign 

Assistance Act of 1961 to increase assistance for the poorest people 

in developing countries under microenterprise assistance programs under 

those Acts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 20, 2002

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on International Relations 

A BILL

To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 

and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to increase 

assistance for the poorest people in developing countries 

under microenterprise assistance programs under those 

Acts, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE FOR 

4 SELF-RELIANCE ACT OF 2000. 

5 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 103 of the Microenterprise 

6 for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–309) is 

7 amended—


78949a.AAB
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2

•HR 4073 IH 

1 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 

4 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(6) to encourage the United States Agency for 

7 International Development to develop, assess, and 

8 implement effective outreach methods and tools to 

9 ensure that at least 50 percent of all microenterprise 

10 assistance authorized under this title, and the 

11 amendments made by this title, are used to assist 

12 the poorest of the poor.’’. 

13 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 104 of such Act is 

14 amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(5) POOREST OF THE POOR.—The terms 

16 ‘poorest of the poor’ and ‘poorest people in devel17 oping countries’ means those persons living in the 

18 bottom 50 percent below the poverty line as estab19 lished by the national government of the country or 

20 those persons whose average daily living expenses 

21 are equal to, or less than, the equivalent of $1 per 

22 day.’’. 

23 (c) USAID AS GLOBAL LEADER AND COORDINATOR

24 OF BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL MICROENTERPRISE

25 ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES.—Section 109 of the MicroenterVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

78949a.AAC
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3

•HR 4073 IH 

1 prise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–309) 

2 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(c) ROLE OF PEACE CORPS IN PROMOTING THE

4 USE OF MICROENTERPRISE OPPORTUNITIES.—The Ad5 ministrator of the United States Agency for International 

6 Development, in conjunction with the Director of the 

7 Peace Corps, shall take the following actions to increase 

8 the involvement of the Peace Corps in microenterprise ini9 tiatives: 

10 ‘‘(1) Ensure that the training of all Peace 

11 Corps volunteers after the effective date of this sub12 section includes, where appropriate, basic instruction 

13 in how to promote, implement, and utilize micro14 enterprise initiatives and the use of poverty assess15 ment tools. 

16 ‘‘(2) Establish a specialized training program 

17 for Peace Corps volunteers under which the volun18 teers are able to acquire specialized knowledge and 

19 skills about microenterprise, with an emphasis on 

20 how to train indigenous persons to successfully de21 velop, organize, implement, and manage a micro22 enterprise program. 

23 ‘‘(3) Establish, as a goal of the Peace Corps, 

24 that at least 50 percent of all Peace Corps volun25 teers trained during calendar year 2004 and each 


78949a.AAD
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4

•HR 4073 IH 

1 subsequent calendar year will receive basic instruc2 tion in how to promote, implement, and utilize 

3 microenterprise initiatives and use of poverty assess4 ment tools.’’. 

5 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE DEVEL6 OPMENT GRANT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 

7 UNDER THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 

8 1961. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 131(b)(3) of such Act 

10 (22 U.S.C. 2152a(b)(3)) is amended in the first sentence 

11 by inserting at the end before the period the following: 

12 ‘‘or whose average daily living expenses are equal to, or 

13 less than, $1 per day’’. 

14 (b) MONITORING SYSTEM.—Section 131(c) of such 

15 Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(c)) is amended—

16 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

17 end; 

18 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

19 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(5) adopts the widespread use of proven and 

22 effective poverty assessment tools to successfully 

23 identify the poorest of the poor and ensure that they 

24 receive needed microenterprise credits, loans, and as25 sistance, including the use of—


78949a.AAE
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•HR 4073 IH 

1 ‘‘(A) the Participatory Wealth Ranking 

2 (‘PWR’); 

3 ‘‘(B) the CASHPOR House Index (‘CHI’); 

4 ‘‘(C) other poverty assessment tools devel5 oped by USAID and determined to be appro6 priate by the Administrator; or 

7 ‘‘(D) any combination of poverty assess8 ment tools described in subparagraphs (A) 

9 through (C).’’. 

10 (c) LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 131(d) of such 

11 Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and 

12 $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and $225,000,000 for 

13 fiscal year 2004’’ after ‘‘fiscal years 2001 and 2002’’. 

14 (d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 131(e) of such Act (22 

15 U.S.C. 2152a(e)) is amended by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(5) POOREST OF THE POOR.—The terms 

18 ‘poorest of the poor’ and ‘poorest people in devel19 oping countries’ means those persons living in the 

20 bottom 50 percent below the poverty line as estab21 lished by the national government of the country or 

22 those persons whose average daily living expenses 

23 are equal to, or less than, the equivalent of $1 per 

24 day.’’.

Æ


78949a.AAF
7

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much 

for scheduling this important bill for a markup today that will help 

many of the poorest of the poor around the country, and re-authorize a program that has proven itself. We have contained in the bill, 

I think, a significant increase for microenterprise, particularly in 

the second year, pushing the authorization level to $200 million for 

microenterprise work around the world. 

Currently, AID provides help and assistance to some 2.1 million 

clients who have gotten their loans through U.S.-funded programs. 

Seventy percent of these individuals are women, and it has proven 

itself an invaluable way to provide assistance to those who want 

to raise their standard of living, their quality of life. 

I want to thank Mr. Payne. Mr. Payne is our principal co-sponsor 

on this legislation, and 17 other Members who have co-sponsored 

it. I also want to thank Mr. Roemer and Mr. Houghton who have 

been very effective in providing insights. They had their own piece 

of legislation that was pending before the Committee, and thankfully, with the amendment in the nature of a substitute, have been 

able to provide this Committee a blend, a compromise, but also a 

consensus document that we think will significantly move the ball 

forward. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Smith. We have been notified of three votes 

on the Floor for 15 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes, normal extension of those times. So we will recess and go vote. Following the 

third and final vote, we will return and continue. 

The Committee stands in recess. 

[Whereupon, a recess was taken.] 

Chairman HYDE. The Committee will come to order. 

Congressman Chris Smith indicates that he has said all he cares 

to say right now anyway and so the—— Mr. GILMAN. Before Mr. Smith yields the rest of his time, will 

he yield a moment for me? 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. I will be happy to yield, Mr. Hyde. 

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman, I want to lend my support to this 

outstanding bill. As my colleagues know, I have been a long-time 

supporter of microenterprise concept and moved the previous 

‘‘micro’’ bill through our Committee. I very much appreciate Mr. 

Smith, Mr. Houghton, and Mr. Payne accepting certain suggestions 

I made relative to the bill, to make certain that to the greatest extent possible our efforts concentrate on the poorest of the poor. 

And again, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, the Microenterprise Self-Reliance Act of 2000. 

And Mr. Chairman, I thank you for bringing it before us at this 

time. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank you. The Chair will recognize Mr. Lantos, the Ranking Democratic Member for an opening statement, 

and then I will request the other Members to submit their opening 

statements for the record because of time constraints. I would like 

to move on this and the other legislation. So without objection, so 

ordered. 

And the Chair recognizes Mr. Lantos. 

Mr. LANTOS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a powerful, persuasive and eloquent statement which I will place in the record for 

the benefit of time. [Laughter.] 

8

[The prepared statement of Mr. Lantos follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE TOM LANTOS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

I want to thank Mr. Smith and Mr. Payne as well as Mr. Roemer and Mr. Houghton for creating a compromise bill that truly improves upon the original legislation. 

I also want to acknowledge the pioneering work on Microenterprise that was done 

by the former Chairman and Ranking Member of this Committee, Reps. Gilman and 

Gejdenson who introduced the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 which 

was signed into law by President Clinton. 

Microenterprise programs have proven to be an effective means of providing poor 

households with the financial tools needed to generate income, create savings and 

develop businesses to help alleviate poverty. 

Therefore, I am very pleased that we are not only reauthorizing this program but 

also increasing the amount of funding for these programs. 

However, in the two years since the original legislation was enacted, we have 

gained new insights on how these programs function. 

One such insight is that due to a lack of precise tools to measure poverty and the 

difficulty in identifying and reaching the very poorest households, there is growing 

concern that these programs are not focusing on the poorest and most needy individuals. 

In the original legislation, we used loan size as an interim measure of poverty, 

thinking that if we made the loans smaller, it would attract only the most needy. 

However, most microenterprise practioners are in agreement that loan size is not 

an adequate proxy for reaching the poor. 

This legislation seeks to improve the targeting of assistance to the very poor by 

amending the definition and requiring USAID to develop more precise tools to measure poverty. 

Specifically, it ensures that at least half of all microenterprise funding authorized 

be specifically set aside for programs or services in which half of the incoming clients are among the very poor. 

Finally, I want to reiterate my strong support for USAID and groups such as Results, FINCA, Freedom from Hunger, Save the Children, and countless others, that 

are working in poor communities around the world to help the very poorest families 

get the financial tools they need to provide for the families. 

I hope that by passing this legislation, we will be giving them the tools and resources they need to continue this important work.

Chairman HYDE. You sure convinced me. [Laughter.] 

And without objection, as I said, any Member may place his or 

her opening statement in the record of today’s proceeding. 

Mr. Smith is recognized for purposes of an amendment. 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk. 

Chairman HYDE. The clerk will report the amendment. 

Would you press the microphone? 

Ms. RUSH. Amendment in the nature of a—— [The information referred to follows:]

9

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

TO H.R. 4073

OFFERED BY MR. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY AND

MR. ROEMER

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 

following:

1 SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE FOR 

2 SELF-RELIANCE ACT OF 2000. 

3 (a) PURPOSES.—Section 103 of the Microenterprise 

4 for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–309) is 

5 amended—

6 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘microentre7 preneurs’’ and inserting ‘‘microenterprise house8 holds’’; 

9 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

10 end; 

11 (3) in paragraph (5)—

12 (A) by striking ‘‘microfinance policy’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘microenterprise policy’’; 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘the poorest of the poor’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘the very poor’’; and 

16 (C) by striking the period at the end and 

17 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


78949d.AAB
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2

H.L.C.

1 ‘‘(6) to encourage the United States Agency for 

2 International Development to develop, assess, and 

3 implement effective outreach methods and tools to 

4 ensure that all microenterprise assistance authorized 

5 under this title, and the amendments made by this 

6 title, is used to assist the greatest absolute number 

7 of economically viable clients among the very poor, 

8 and that at least 50 percent of all microenterprise 

9 assistance authorized under this title, and the 

10 amendments made under this title, is used in sup11 port of programs or lines of service that target the 

12 very poor.’’. 

13 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 104 of such Act is 

14 amended—

15 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘for micro16 entrepreneurs’’ and inserting ‘‘to microentrepreneurs 

17 and their households’’; and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(5) VERY POOR; POOREST PEOPLE IN DEVEL20 OPING COUNTRIES.—The terms ‘very poor’ and 

21 ‘poorest people in developing countries’ mean those 

22 persons living either in the bottom 50 percent below 

23 the poverty line as established by the national gov24 ernment of the country or on less than the equiva25 lent of $1 per day.’’. 


78949d.AAC
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3

H.L.C.

1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICRO- AND SMALL ENTER2 PRISE DEVELOPMENT CREDITS PROGRAM 

3 UNDER THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 

4 1961. 

5 (a) FINDINGS AND POLICY.—Section 108(a)(2) of 

6 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

7 2151f(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘the development of 

8 the enterprises of the poor’’ and inserting ‘‘the access to 

9 financial services and the development of microenter10 prises’’. 

11 (b) PROGRAM.—Section 108(b) of such Act (22 

12 U.S.C. 2151f(b)) is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM.—To carry out the policy set forth in 

14 subsection (a), the President is authorized to provide as15 sistance to increase the availability of financial services to 

16 microenterprise households lacking full access to credit, 

17 including through—

18 ‘‘(1) loans and guarantees to microfinance insti19 tutions for the purpose of expanding the availability 

20 of savings and credit to poor and low-income house21 holds; 

22 ‘‘(2) training programs for microfinance institu23 tions in order to enable them to better meet the fi24 nancial services needs of their clients; and 

25 ‘‘(3) training programs for clients in order to 

26 enable them to make better use of credit, increase 


78949d.AAD
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H.L.C.

1 their financial literacy, and to better manage their 

2 enterprises.’’. 

3 (c) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—Section 108(c) of such 

4 Act (22 U.S.C. 2151f(c)) is amended—

5 (1) in the first sentence of the matter preceding 

6 paragraph (1)—

7 (A) by striking ‘‘credit institutions’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘microfinance institutions’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘micro- and small enter10 prises’’ and inserting ‘‘microenterprise house11 holds’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking 

13 ‘‘credit’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘finan14 cial services’’. 

15 (d) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Section 108(d) of 

16 such Act (22 U.S.C. 2151f(d)) is amended by striking 

17 ‘‘micro- and small enterprise programs’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘programs for microenterprise households’’. 

19 (e) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Section 108(f)(1) of 

20 such Act (22 U.S.C. 2151f(f)(1)) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2004’’. 

23 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 108 of such 

24 Act (22 U.S.C. 2151f) is amended in the heading to read 

25 as follows: 


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5

H.L.C.

1 ‘‘SEC. 108. MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT CREDITS.’’. 

2 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE DEVEL3 OPMENT GRANT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 

4 UNDER THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 

5 1961. 

6 (a) FINDINGS AND POLICY.—Section 131(a) of the 

7 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152a(a)) is 

8 amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS AND POLICY.—Congress finds and de10 clares that—

11 ‘‘(1) access to financial services and the devel12 opment of microenterprise are vital factors in the 

13 stable growth of developing countries and in the de14 velopment of free, open, and equitable international 

15 economic systems; 

16 ‘‘(2) it is therefore in the best interest of the 

17 United States to facilitate access to financial serv18 ices and assist the development of microenterprise in 

19 developing countries; 

20 ‘‘(3) access to financial services and the devel21 opment of microenterprises can be supported by pro22 grams providing credit, savings, training, technical 

23 assistance, business development services, and other 

24 financial and non-financial services; and 

25 ‘‘(4) given the relatively high percentage of pop26 ulations living in rural areas of developing countries, 


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H.L.C.

1 and the combined high incidence of poverty in rural 

2 areas and growing income inequality between rural 

3 and urban markets, microenterprise programs 

4 should target both rural and urban poor.’’. 

5 (b) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 131(b) of such Act 

6 (22 U.S.C. 2152a(b)) is amended—

7 (1) in paragraph (3)—

8 (A) in the first sentence of the matter pre9 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘targeted 

10 to very poor entrepreneurs’’ and all that follows 

11 and inserting ‘‘used in support of programs or 

12 lines of service under which 50 percent or more 

13 of the incoming or prospective clients are ini14 tially very poor.’’; and 

15 (B) in subparagraph (A)(i) , by striking 

16 ‘‘entrepreneurs’’ and inserting ‘‘clients’’; and 

17 (2) in paragraph (4)(D)—

18 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘very small 

19 loans’’ and inserting ‘‘financial services to poor 

20 entrepreneurs’’; and 

21 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘micro22 finance’’ and inserting ‘‘microenterprise’’. 

23 (c) MONITORING SYSTEM.—Section 131(c) of such 

24 Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(c)) is amended by striking para25 graph (4) and inserting the following: 


78949d.AAG
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H.L.C.

1 ‘‘(4) adopts the widespread use of proven and 

2 effective poverty assessment tools to successfully 

3 identify the very poor and ensure that they receive 

4 needed microenterprise credits, loans, and assist5 ance.’’

6 (d) DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF POVERTY

7 MEASUREMENT METHODS.—Section 131 of such Act (22 

8 U.S.C. 2152a) is amended—

9 (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 

10 subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and 

11 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(d) DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF POV14 ERTY MEASUREMENT METHODS; APPLICATION OF METH15 ODS.—

16 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION.—(A) 

17 The Administrator of the United States Agency for 

18 International Development, in consultation with ap19 propriate microfinance institutions, microenterprise 

20 institutions, and other appropriate entities shall de21 velop no fewer than two low-cost methods for meas22 uring the poverty levels of the current or prospective 

23 clients of microenterprise organizations for purposes 

24 of assistance under this section. In developing such 

25 methods, the Administrator shall give consideration 


78949d.AAH
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H.L.C.

1 to methods already in use by practitioner institu2 tions. 

3 ‘‘(B) The Administrator shall field-test the 

4 methods developed under this paragraph, and as 

5 part of the testing, institutions and programs may 

6 use these methods on a voluntary basis to dem7 onstrate their ability to reach the very poor. 

8 ‘‘(C) Not later than October 1, 2004, the Ad9 ministrator shall, from among the low-cost poverty 

10 measurement methods developed under this para11 graph, certify no fewer than two of such methods as 

12 approved methods for measuring the poverty levels 

13 of the current or prospective clients of microenter14 prise organizations for purposes of assistance under 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—Beginning on and after 

17 October 1, 2004, assistance furnished under this 

18 section to a program or to a line of service within 

19 an institution shall qualify, in whole or in part, as 

20 targeted assistance to the very poor if one or more 

21 of the measurement methods approved under para22 graph (1), or one or more of the measurement meth23 ods approved in accordance with paragraph (1) after 

24 October 1, 2004, verifies that at least 50 percent of 


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H.L.C.

1 the incoming or prospective clients of the program 

2 or line of service are initially among the very poor.’’. 

3 (e) LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 131(e) of such 

4 Act, as redesignated by subsection (d), is amended by in5 serting ‘‘and $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and 

6 $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2004’’ after ‘‘fiscal years 

7 2001 and 2002’’. 

8 (f) DEFINITIONS.—Section 131(f) of such Act, as re9 designated by subsection (d), is amended by adding at the 

10 end the following: 

11 ‘‘(5) VERY POOR; POOREST PEOPLE IN DEVEL12 OPING COUNTRIES.—The terms ‘very poor’ and 

13 ‘poorest people in developing countries’ mean those 

14 persons living either in the bottom 50 percent below 

15 the poverty line as established by the national gov16 ernment of the country or on less than the equiva17 lent of $1 per day.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

19 Not later than July 1, 2004, the Administrator of 

20 the United States Agency for International Development 

21 shall submit to Congress a report that contains—

22 (1) a description of the interim poverty meas23 urement methods developed and implemented pursu24 ant to section 131(d)(1) of the Foreign Assistance 

25 Act of 1961, as added by section 3(d); 


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H.L.C.

1 (2) an analysis of the results of the application 

2 of such interim poverty measurement methods to 

3 sustainable poverty-focused programs under such 

4 section; and 

5 (3) a description of the proposed final poverty 

6 measurement methods to be implemented beginning 

7 on October 1, 2004, in accordance with section 

8 131(d)(2) of such Act, as added by section 3(d).


78949d.AAK
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Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, I ask that the amendment be considered as read. 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is 

recommended for 5 minutes. 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment, 

which has been very carefully worked out with my good friend and 

colleague, Mr. Payne, who is the principal co-sponsor of our legislation, and other people, including Ben Gilman, who has been a real 

leader in this effort for so many years; Mr. Roemer who has also 

had a bill pending before the Committee. He and his staff have 

been very, very helpful in drafting this; and I especially want to 

thank Peter Smith and Nisha DeSai for their work on this legislation. They have been very, very effective in working through all of 

the details so that we now have a compromise text that is very tangible and that moves the ball forward so that by the year 2004 

there will be additional means of measuring how well or how poorly we are doing, and measuring especially how we define poverty, 

and whether or not we are reaching the people that we hope to 

reach. 

There have been criticisms in the past that current tools being 

used are inadequate. That may or may not be true, but we want 

to add additional layers of tools so that we can better analyze 

whether or not people are poor and how to best reach them. We also increased the authorization to $175 million for next fiscal year, and $200 million for the following fiscal year, 2004. Again, 

this is a program or project, an initiative that has proven itself. As 

I said earlier, Mr. Chairman, about two million people have been 

directly affected by AID-assisted programs this year. Seventy percent of those are women. The average loan is between 300 and 400 

dollars. It is enough to make a huge difference. 

And most of the loans, and I say this with emphasis, most of the 

loans are paid back, unlike with our own country where there is 

a high loan default rate. Because of good management, and AID deserves a lot of credit for the good job it has done on this program, 

because of the selection of the clients who are recipients of the 

loans, there has been an outstanding repayment rate and a very 

low default rate. 

So I hope that this amendment can get the support of the Full 

Committee and get to the Floor as quickly as possible. 

Chairman HYDE. Does Mr. Payne want to be heard on this? 

Mr. PAYNE. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Let me thank you for allowing me to have a few words, and let 

me thank Mr. Smith for this legislation amendment in the nature 

of a substitute, the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act. 

I would also like to thank Mr. Roemer and Mr. Houghton for creating this compromise because it truly improve the original legislation, and the former Chairman who introduced the legislation, Gilman and Gadensen, when the legislation was originally written 

into law. 

Microenterprise have proven to be effective tools for providing 

poor households with financial tools needed to generate income, 

create savings and develop businesses to help alleviate poverty. 

Microenterprises are small, informal businesses run by the poor, 

usually comprise of about 10 employees. Microenterprise leading 

20

programs are diverse, and they are different i nature, but USAID’s 

microenterprise programs are the kind of support system that the 

world needs for the poorest of the poor, as we have indicated that 

this particular legislation is targeted for. 

We think that it is a great way to have self-sufficiency. It has 

much support from groups like World Vision, who actually will be 

raising matching funds to go along with the grant. 

And so, as you know, we support the increase in funding for the 

program in the amount of 175 for fiscal year 2003, and 200 million 

for fiscal year 2004. 

And so we certainly appreciate the spirit behind this legislation 

that says that people living on one dollar a day or less should have 

the opportunity to have access to funds to support their moneymaking activities. 

And so with that, Mr. Chairman, once again let me thank you 

for that and urge support for this legislation. 

With that, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman HYDE. A question occurs on the amendment. 

All in favor say—— Mr. BROWN. Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Brown. 

Mr. BROWN. Mr. Chairman, I would like to speak in support of 

this amendment. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. 

Mr. BROWN. I would like to thank Mr. Payne and Mr. Smith and 

Mr. Lantos and the Chairman and Mr. Gilman for their fine work 

on microenterprise. It is a powerful anti-poverty tool. It has a particularly significant impact on the lives of poor children. Families 

that do not have access to credit or other financial services are 

often forced to rely upon predatory local lenders, what you and I 

might call loan sharks. 

And in the worst case, this literally requires families to use their 

children’s labor as collateral. UNICEF looks to microenterprise as 

one key solution to the terrible problem of bonded child labor or 

child slavery. Families that have access to credit and to other services can support themselves financially and can provide for their 

children. 

The bill we are considering today, the substitute, Chris Smith’s 

substitute is especially important because of the new steps it takes 

to better ensure that microenterprise and resources reach the very 

poor, with expanded funding to make sure that half of all microenterprise resources go to programs that serve very poor clients, 

will better define the very poor to include people who survive on 

less than a dollar a day. 

I commend the Committee. I support Mr. Smith’s substitute. 

I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Is there any further discussion? 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman for purposes of a colloquy with Mr. Payne, I would like to be recognized. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. I yield to my good friend, Mr. Payne. 

Mr. PAYNE. Yes. I would like to thank the gentleman from New 

Jersey for his leadership on this legislation. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the legislation. 

21

However, I notice that the amendment in the nature of a substitute does not provide for the establishment of an accelerated 

grown fund. Members of the Microenterprise Coalition have asked 

that we establish and capitalize a fund that would facilitate the 

growth and expansion of microenterprise. 

Can the gentleman explain how we intend to address this issue? 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. I would be happy, and I thank my 

friend for asking that question, and for his support and co-sponsorship of our legislation. 

In response to your question, we did consider the coalition’s request for establishing the accelerated growth fund. However, we 

are still awaiting a report from USAID which was mandated in the 

Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000, Mr. Gilman’s bill. 

USAID is delinquent on that report, and staff did not have adequate time or information to resolve this issue in time for inclusion 

in the bill at this time. 

It is my hope and expectation that USAID will be forthcoming 

with this report in the very near future. I intend to have my staff 

and the Committee staff work with AID and the Microenterprise 

Coalition to determine the best way to go forward in establishing 

the accelerated growth fund. 

And again, I want to thank the gentleman for asking that question. 

Mr. PAYNE. For that answer, thank you. 

Chairman HYDE. Are there any amendments? 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The question occurs on the amendment in the 

nature of a substitute. All in favor say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. All opposed, no. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed 

to. 

The question occurs on the motion to report the bill H.R. 4073 

favorably as amended. All in favor say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. Opposed, no. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it. The motion to report favorably is adopted. 

Without objection, the Chairman is authorized to move to go conference pursuant to House Rule XXII. Without objection, the staff 

is directed to make any technical and conforming changes. 

The next item on the agenda is H.R. 3969, the ‘‘Freedom Promotion Act of 2002,’’ for purposes of markup and move its favorable 

recommendation to the House without objection, the bill will be 

considered as read, open for amendment at any point, and the 

Chair yields himself 5 minutes for purposes of a statement. 

[The bill, H.R. 3969, follows:]

22

1

I 

107TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3969

To enhance United States public diplomacy, to reorganize United States 

international broadcasting, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2002

Mr. HYDE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on International Relations 

A BILL

To enhance United States public diplomacy, to reorganize 

United States international broadcasting, and for other 

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Freedom Promotion 

5 Act of 2002’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 

Sec. 101. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 102. Public diplomacy responsibilities of the Department of State. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

Sec. 103. Annual report on public diplomacy and communications strategy. 

Sec. 104. Public diplomacy training. 

Sec. 105. Study and report on United States public diplomacy. 

Sec. 106. Funding and authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL 

PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

Sec. 201. Establishment of initiatives for predominantly Muslim countries. 

Sec. 202. Database of alumni of American and foreign participants in exchange 

programs. 

Sec. 203. Report on inclusion of freedom and democracy advocates in educational and cultural exchange programs. 

Sec. 204. Supplemental authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE III—REORGANIZATION OF UNITED STATES 

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 

Sec. 301. Establishment of United States International Broadcasting Agency. 

Sec. 302. Authorities and functions of the Agency. 

Sec. 303. Role of the Secretary of State. 

Sec. 304. Establishment of Board for International Broadcasting. 

Sec. 305. Administrative provisions. 

Sec. 306. Broadcasting Board of Governors and International Broadcasting 

Bureau. 

Sec. 307. Transition. 

Sec. 308. Conforming amendments. 

Sec. 309. References. 

Sec. 310. Broadcasting standards. 

Sec. 311. Effective date.

1 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means the Committee on International Re6 lations and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

7 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropria9 tions of the Senate. 

10 (2) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

11 means the Department of State. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of State. 

3 TITLE I—UNITED STATES 

4 PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 

5 SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

6 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

7 findings: 

8 (1) The United States possesses strong and 

9 deep connections with the peoples of the world sepa10 rate from its relations with their governments. 

11 (2) These connections can be a major asset in 

12 the promotion of United States interests and foreign 

13 policy. 

14 (3) Misinformation and hostile propaganda in 

15 these countries regarding the United States and its 

16 foreign policy endanger the interests of the United 

17 States. Existing efforts to counter such misinforma18 tion and propaganda are inadequate and must be 

19 greatly enhanced in both scope and substance. 

20 (4) United States foreign policy has been ham21 pered by an insufficient consideration of the impor22 tance of public diplomacy in the formulation and im23 plementation of that policy and by the underuse of 

24 modern communication techniques. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 (5) The United States lacks an operational 

2 strategy and a coordinated effort regarding the utili3 zation of its public diplomacy resources. 

4 (6) The development of an operational strategy 

5 and a coordinated effort by United States agencies 

6 regarding public diplomacy would greatly enhance 

7 United States foreign policy. 

8 (b) PURPOSES.—It is the purpose of this Act to en9 hance in scope and substance, redirect, redefine, and reor10 ganize United States public diplomacy. 

11 SEC. 102. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 

12 DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The State Department Basic Au14 thorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 265 et seq.) is amended 

15 by inserting after section 56 the following new section: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 57. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 

17 DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 

19 make public diplomacy an integral component in the plan20 ning and execution of United States foreign policy. The 

21 Department of State shall develop a comprehensive strat22 egy for the use of public diplomacy resources and assume 

23 a prominent role in coordinating the efforts of all Federal

24 agencies involved in public diplomacy. Public diplomacy ef25 forts shall be addressed to developed and developing counVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 tries, to select and general audiences, and shall utilize all 

2 available media to ensure that the foreign policy of the 

3 United States is properly explained and understood not 

4 only by the governments of countries but also by their peo5 ples, with the objective of enhancing support for United 

6 States foreign policy. The Secretary shall ensure that the 

7 public diplomacy strategy of the United States is cohesive 

8 and coherent and shall aggressively and through the most 

9 effective mechanisms counter misinformation and propa10 ganda concerning the United States. The Secretary shall 

11 endeavor to articulate the importance in American foreign 

12 policy of the guiding principles and doctrines of the United 

13 States, particularly freedom and democracy. The Sec14 retary shall develop and articulate long-term measurable 

15 objectives for United States public diplomacy. The Sec16 retary is authorized to produce and distribute public diplo17 macy programming for distribution abroad in order to 

18 achieve public diplomacy objectives, including through sat19 ellite communication, the Internet, and other established 

20 and emerging communications technologies. In coopera21 tion with the Agency for International Development (AID) 

22 and other public and private assistance organizations and 

23 agencies, the Secretary shall ensure that information con24 cerning assistance provided by the United States Govern25 ment, by United States nongovernmental organizations 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 and private entities, and by the American people is dis2 seminated widely and prominently, particularly within 

3 countries and regions that receive such assistance. 

4 ‘‘(b) ANNUAL REVIEW.—The Secretary of State, an5 nually, shall conduct a review and analysis of the impact 

6 of public diplomacy efforts on target audiences. The review 

7 shall consider and evaluate the content of programming 

8 and the effectiveness of the media for distribution of such 

9 programming. 

10 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY.— Subject to the availability of ap11 propriations, the Secretary may contract with and com12 pensate government and private agencies or persons for 

13 property and services to carry out this section.’’. 

14 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RE15 SERVE CORPS.—

16 (1) The Secretary of State shall establish a 

17 public diplomacy reserve corps to augment the public 

18 diplomacy capacity and capabilities of the Depart19 ment in emergency and critical circumstances world20 wide. The Secretary shall develop a detailed action 

21 plan for the temporary deployment and use of the 

22 corps to bolster public diplomacy resources and ex23 pertise. To the extent considered necessary and ap24 propriate, the Secretary may recruit experts in pub25 lic diplomacy and related fields from the private secVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HR 3969 IH 

1 tor and utilize the expertise of former employees of 

2 the Department in implementing this subsection. 

3 (2) While actively serving with the reserve 

4 corps, individuals are prohibited from engaging in 

5 activities directly or indirectly intended to influence 

6 public opinion within the United States to the same 

7 degree that employees of the Department engaged in 

8 public diplomacy are so prohibited. 

9 (c) TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES.—

10 The Secretary shall establish a fully capable multimedia 

11 programming and distribution capacity including satellite, 

12 Internet, and other services, and also including the capa13 bility to acquire and produce audio and video feeds and 

14 Internet streaming to foreign news organizations. The 

15 technology and equipment upgrades under the first sen16 tence shall be fully implemented within 2 years of the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act. To the extent practicable, 

18 activities under this subsection shall utilize the facilities 

19 of the United States International Broadcasting Agency 

20 established by title III. 

21 (d) FUNCTIONS OF THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR

22 PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—

23 (1) Section 1(b)(3) of the State Department 

24 Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 

25 2651a(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘formation’’ 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 and all that follows through the period at the end 

2 and inserting ‘‘formation, supervision, and imple3 mentation of United States public diplomacy poli4 cies, programs, and activities, including the provision 

5 of guidance to Department personnel in the United 

6 States and overseas who conduct or implement such 

7 policies, programs, and activities. The Under Sec8 retary for Public Diplomacy shall assist the United 

9 States Agency for International Broadcasting in pre10 senting the policies of the United States clearly and 

11 effectively, shall submit statements of United States 

12 policy and editorial material to the Agency for 

13 broadcast consideration in addition to material pre14 pared by the Agency, and shall ensure that editorial 

15 material created by the Agency for broadcast is re16 viewed expeditiously by the Department.’’. 

17 (2) The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, 

18 in carrying out the functions under the last sentence 

19 of section 1(b)(3) of the State Department Basic 

20 Authorities Act of 1956 (as added by paragraph (1), 

21 shall consult public diplomacy officers operating at

22 United States overseas posts and in the regional bu23 reaus of the Department of State. 

24 (e) INCREASE IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PERSONNEL

25 OF THE DEPARTMENT.—The Secretary of State shall enVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HR 3969 IH 

1 sure that of the new job positions established at the De2 partment after September 30, 2002, not less than one 

3 fourth shall be public diplomacy positions. 

4 SEC. 103. ANNUAL REPORT ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND 

5 COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY. 

6 (a) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 

7 before the beginning of each fiscal year, the Secretary of 

8 State, in coordination with the Director of the United 

9 States International Broadcasting Agency, shall submit to 

10 the appropriate congressional committees an annual re11 port on public diplomacy and communications strategy. 

12 Each report shall present the Secretary’s public diplomacy 

13 and communications strategy worldwide and by region for 

14 the subsequent fiscal year, including the allocation of re15 sources and an evaluation and assessment of the progress 

16 in, and barriers to, achieving the goals set forth under 

17 previous reports submitted under this subsection. The re18 port may be submitted in classified form. 

19 (b) PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 60 

20 days after the date of the submission of each annual re21 port under subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in co22 ordination with the Director of the United States Inter23 national Broadcasting Agency and all appropriate Federal 

24 agencies that conduct public diplomacy programs abroad, 

25 shall develop a detailed plan for the implementation of the 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 report which specifies goals, agency responsibilities, and 

2 necessary resources and mechanisms for achieving such 

3 goals during the next fiscal year. 

4 SEC. 104. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TRAINING. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

6 findings: 

7 (1) The Foreign Service should recruit individ8 uals with expertise and professional experience in 

9 public diplomacy. 

10 (2) Ambassadors should have a prominent role 

11 in the formulation of public diplomacy strategies for 

12 the countries and regions to which they are assigned 

13 and be accountable for the operation and success of 

14 public diplomacy efforts at their posts. 

15 (3) Initial and subsequent training of Foreign 

16 Service officers should be enhanced to include infor17 mation and training on public diplomacy and the 

18 tools and technology of mass communication. 

19 (b) PERSONNEL.—

20 (1) In the recruitment, training, and assign21 ment of members of the Foreign Service, the Sec22 retary shall emphasize the importance of public di23 plomacy and of applicable skills and techniques. The 

24 Secretary shall require that members of the Foreign 

25 Service have a public diplomacy assignment prior to 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 promotion to the senior levels of the Foreign Service. 

2 The Secretary shall consider the priority recruitment 

3 into the Foreign Service, at middle-level entry, of in4 dividuals with expertise and professional experience 

5 in public diplomacy or mass communications, espe6 cially individuals with language facility and experi7 ence in particular countries and regions. 

8 (2) The Secretary of State shall seek to in9 crease the number of Foreign Service officers pro10 ficient in languages spoken in predominantly Muslim 

11 countries. Such increase shall be accomplished 

12 through the recruitment of new officers and incen13 tives for officers in service. 

14 (c) ENHANCED PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TRAINING.—Not 

15 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

16 this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to 

17 the appropriate congressional committees concerning en18 hancements that the Secretary has determined are appro19 priate and are being implemented to ensure adequate 

20 training in public diplomacy for ambassadors, Foreign 

21 Service officers, and civil service officers. 

22 SEC. 105. STUDY AND REPORT ON UNITED STATES PUBLIC 

23 DIPLOMACY. 

24 (a) STUDY AND REPORT BY UNITED STATES ADVI25 SORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—Section 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 604(c)(2) of the United States Information and Edu2 cational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1469(c)) is 

3 amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(2)(A) Not less often than every two years, the Com5 mission, in consultation with the General Accounting Of6 fice, shall undertake an indepth study of public and media 

7 attitudes around the world toward the United States, 

8 Americans, and United States foreign policy. Each study 

9 shall assess the effectiveness of the various mechanisms 

10 of United States public diplomacy and make appropriate 

11 recommendations. The Commission shall give priority at12 tention and analysis to regions and countries determined 

13 by the Secretary of State to be of particular interest for 

14 national security or foreign policy reasons, where such at15 titudes are changing, or where such attitudes among the 

16 masses of people diverge widely from that of their govern17 ments. 

18 ‘‘(B) A comprehensive report of each study under 

19 subparagraph (A) shall be submitted to the Secretary of 

20 State and the appropriate congressional committees. At 

21 the discretion of the Commission, any report under this 

22 subsection may be submitted in classified form or with a 

23 classified appendix. 

24 (b) ASSISTANCE OF GAO.—The Comptroller General 

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1 ance in the research and production of the study and re2 port under section 604(c)(5) of the United States Infor3 mation and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (as amend4 ed by subsection (a)), including the detail of personnel, 

5 as the United States Advisory Commission on Public Di6 plomacy may require in carrying out its responsibilities 

7 under such section. 

8 (c) INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FROM OTHER

9 AGENCIES.—Upon request of the United States Advisory 

10 Commission on Public Diplomacy, the Secretary of State, 

11 the Director of the United States International Broad12 casting Agency, and the head of any other Federal agency 

13 that conducts public diplomacy programs and activities 

14 shall provide information to the Advisory Commission to 

15 assist in carrying out the responsibilities under section 

16 604(c)(5) of the United States Information and Edu17 cational Exchange Act of 1948 (as amended by subsection 

18 (a)). 

19 (d) ENHANCING THE EXPERTISE OF UNITED STATES

20 ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—

21 (1) QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS.—Section 

22 604((a)(2) of the United States Information and 

23 Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 

24 1469(a)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the 

25 following: ‘‘At least 4 members shall have substanVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HR 3969 IH 

1 tial experience in the conduct of public diplomacy or 

2 comparable activities in the private sector. No mem3 ber shall be an officer or employee of the United 

4 States.’’. 

5 (2) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENT.—The 

6 amendments made by paragraph (1) shall not apply 

7 to individuals who are members of the United States 

8 Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy on the 

9 date of the enactment of this Act. 

10 SEC. 106. FUNDING AND AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA11 TIONS. 

12 (a) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Of the 

13 amounts authorized to be appropriated for each of the fis14 cal years 2002 and 2003 for the Diplomatic and Consular 

15 Programs of the Department of State, $497,000,000 for 

16 the fiscal year 2002 and $512,000,000 for the fiscal year 

17 2003 shall be available only for public diplomacy programs 

18 and activities as carried out prior to the Foreign Affairs 

19 Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, other than pro20 grams of educational and cultural exchange. 

21 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR IM22 PROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PROGRAMS.—

23 (1) In addition to amounts otherwise authorized 

24 to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appro25 priated $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 2002 and 2003 for Diplomatic and Consular Pro2 grams of the Department of State which shall be 

3 available only for improvements and modernization 

4 of public diplomacy programs and activities of the 

5 Department of State as carried out prior to the For6 eign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, 

7 other than programs of educational and cultural ex8 change. 

9 (2) LIMITATIONS.—

10 (A) TRANSLATION SERVICES.—Of the 

11 amounts authorized to be appropriated by para12 graph (1), $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal 

13 years 2002 and 2003 is authorized to be appro14 priated only for translation services available to 

15 public affairs officers in overseas posts. 

16 (B) BROADCAST SERVICES.—Of the 

17 amounts authorized to be appropriated by para18 graph (1), $7,500,000 for each of the fiscal 

19 years 2002 and 2003 is authorized to be appro20 priated only for the Office of Broadcast Serv21 ices to carry out section 102(c). 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 TITLE II—UNITED STATES EDU2 CATIONAL AND CULTURAL 

3 PROGRAMS OF THE DEPART4 MENT OF STATE 

5 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIATIVES FOR PREDOMI6 NANTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

8 findings: 

9 (1) Surveys indicate that, in countries of pre10 dominantly Muslim population, opinions of the 

11 United States and American foreign policy among 

12 the general public and select audiences are signifi13 cantly distorted by highly negative and hostile beliefs 

14 and images and that many of these beliefs and im15 ages are the result of misinformation and propa16 ganda by individuals and organizations hostile to the 

17 United States. 

18 (2) These negative opinions and images are 

19 highly prejudicial to the interests of the United 

20 States and to its foreign policy. 

21 (3) As part of a broad and long-term effort to 

22 enhance a positive image of the United States in the 

23 Muslim world, a key element should be the establish24 ment of programs to promote a greater familiarity 

25 with American society and values among the general 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 public and select audiences in countries of predomi2 nantly Muslim population. 

3 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIATIVES.—The Sec4 retary of State shall establish the following programs with 

5 countries with predominantly Muslim populations as part 

6 of the educational and cultural exchange programs of the 

7 Department of State: 

8 (1) JOURNALISM PROGRAM.—A program for 

9 foreign journalists and postsecondary students of 

10 journalism which, in cooperation with private sector 

11 sponsors to include universities, shall sponsor work12 shops and professional training in techniques, stand13 ards, and practices in the field of journalism to as14 sist the participants to achieve the highest standards 

15 of professionalism. 

16 (2) LIBRARIES.—The Secretary of State shall 

17 develop and implement a demonstration program to 

18 assist foreign governments to establish or upgrade 

19 their public library systems to improve literacy, sup20 port public education, and provide youth recreation 

21 centers. The program shall provide training in the li22 brary sciences, including exchange opportunities for 

23 postsecondary study in the United States. The pur24 pose of the program shall be to advance American 


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1 values and society, particularly the importance of 

2 freedom and democracy. 

3 (3) ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING.—The Sec4 retary shall establish a program to provide grants to 

5 United States citizens to work in middle and sec6 ondary schools as English language teaching assist7 ants for not less than an academic year. If feasible, 

8 the host government or local educational agency 

9 shall share the salary costs of the assistants. 

10 (4) SISTER CITY PARTNERSHIPS.—The Sec11 retary shall expand and enhance sister-city partner12 ships between United States and international mu13 nicipalities in an effort to increase global cooperation 

14 at the community level. Such partnerships shall en15 courage economic development, municipal coopera16 tion, health care initiatives, youth and educational 

17 programs, disability advocacy, emergency prepared18 ness, and humanitarian assistance. 

19 (5) YOUTH AMBASSADORS.—The Secretary 

20 shall establish a program for visits by middle and 

21 secondary school students to the United States dur22 ing school holidays in their home country for periods 

23 not to exceed 4 weeks. Participating students shall 

24 reflect the economic and geographic diversity of their 

25 countries. Activities shall include cultural and eduVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 cational activities designed to familiarize partici2 pating students with American society and values. 

3 To the extent practicable, such visits shall be coordi4 nated with middle and secondary schools in the 

5 United States to provide for school-based activities 

6 and interactions. The Secretary shall encourage the 

7 establishment of direct school-to-school linkages 

8 under the program. 

9 (6) FULBRIGHT EXCHANGE PROGRAM.—The 

10 Secretary shall seek to substantially increase the 

11 number of awards under the J. William Fulbright 

12 Educational Exchange Program to graduate stu13 dents, scholars, professionals, teachers, and adminis14 trators from the United States who are applying for 

15 such awards to study, teach, conduct research, or 

16 pursue scholarship in predominantly Muslim coun17 tries. Part of such increase shall include awards for 

18 scholars and teachers who plan to teach subjects re19 lating to American studies. 

20 (7) HUBERT H. HUMPHREY FELLOWSHIPS.—

21 The Secretary shall seek to substantially increase 

22 the number of Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships 

23 awarded to candidates from predominantly Muslim 

24 countries. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 (c) GENERAL PROVISION.—Programs established 

2 under this section shall be carried out under the provisions 

3 of the United States Information and Educational Ex4 change Act of 1948 and the Mutual Educational and Cul5 tural Exchange Act of 1961. 

6 SEC. 202. DATABASE OF ALUMNI OF AMERICAN AND FOR7 EIGN PARTICIPANTS IN EXCHANGE PRO8 GRAMS. 

9 The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 

10 heads of other agencies that conduct international ex11 change and training programs, shall establish and main12 tain a database listing all American and foreign alumni 

13 of such programs in order to encourage networking, inter14 action, and communication with alumni. 

15 SEC. 203. REPORT ON INCLUSION OF FREEDOM AND DE16 MOCRACY ADVOCATES IN EDUCATIONAL AND 

17 CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. 

18 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact19 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 

20 the Congress a report concerning the implementation of 

21 section 102 of the Human Rights, Refugee, and Other 

22 Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996. The report shall 

23 include information concerning the number of grants to 

24 conduct exchange programs to countries described in such 

25 section that have been submitted for competitive bidding, 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 what measures have been taken to ensure that willingness 

2 to include supporters of freedom and democracy in such 

3 programs is given appropriate weight in the selection of 

4 grantees, and an evaluation of whether United States ex5 change programs in the countries described in such section 

6 are fully open to supporters of freedom and democracy, 

7 and, if not, what obstacles remain and what measures are 

8 being taken to implement such policy. 

9 SEC. 204. SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS. 

11 In addition to such amounts as are otherwise author12 ized to be appropriated, for each of the fiscal years 2002 

13 and 2003 there are authorized to be appropriated 

14 $35,000,000 for educational and cultural exchange pro15 grams of the Department of State. 

16 TITLE III—REORGANIZATION OF 

17 UNITED STATES INTER18 NATIONAL BROADCASTING 

19 SEC. 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES INTER20 NATIONAL BROADCASTING AGENCY. 

21 Section 304 of the United States International 

22 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6203) is amended 

23 to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES INTER2 NATIONAL BROADCASTING AGENCY. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established as an 

4 independent agency in the executive branch the United 

5 States International Broadcasting Agency (hereinafter in 

6 this Act referred to as the ‘Agency’). 

7 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—

8 ‘‘(1) The head of the Agency is a Director who 

9 shall—

10 ‘‘(A) be appointed by the President, by and 

11 with the advice and consent of the Senate; and 

12 ‘‘(B) receive basic pay at the rate payable 

13 for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 

14 section 5313 of title 5, United States Code. 

15 ‘‘(2) The term of service of the Director shall 

16 be five years. The Director may continue to serve 

17 beyond the expiration of the term until a successor 

18 is appointed and has qualified. The Director may be 

19 removed by the President only for cause. 

20 ‘‘(3) The Director shall—

21 ‘‘(A) carry out the functions and authori22 ties of the United States International Broad23 casting Agency; 

24 ‘‘(B) be responsible for the exercise of all 

25 authorities and powers and the discharge of all 

26 duties and functions of the Agency; and 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(C) serve as the Executive Director of the 

2 Board for International Broadcasting. 

3 ‘‘(4) The Director shall organize and chair a co4 ordinating committee to examine and make rec5 ommendations on long-term strategies for the future 

6 of international broadcasting, including the use of 

7 new technologies. 

8 ‘‘(c) INSPECTOR GENERAL.—

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 

10 the Department of State shall exercise the same au11 thorities with respect to the Agency as the Inspector 

12 General exercises under the Inspector General Act of 

13 1978 and section 209 of the Foreign Service Act of 

14 1980 with respect to the Department of State. 

15 ‘‘(2) RESPECT FOR JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY

16 OF BROADCASTERS.—The Inspector General shall 

17 respect the journalistic integrity of all the broad18 casters covered by this title and may not evaluate 

19 the philosophical or political perspectives reflected in 

20 the content of broadcasts. 

21 SEC. 302. AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE AGENCY. 

22 Section 305 of the United States International 

23 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6204) is amended 

24 to read as follows:


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘SEC. 305. AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE AGENCY. 

2 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS.—The Agency 

3 shall have the following authorities and functions: 

4 ‘‘(1) Except as provided in section 308 and 

5 309, to carry out all nonmilitary international broad6 casting activities supported by the United States 

7 Government. 

8 ‘‘(2) To supervise all broadcasting activities 

9 conducted pursuant to this title, the Radio Broad10 casting to Cuba Act, and the Television Broad11 casting to Cuba Act. 

12 ‘‘(3) To review and evaluate the mission and 

13 operation of, and to assess the quality, effectiveness, 

14 and professional integrity of, all such activities with15 in the context of the broad foreign policy objectives 

16 of the United States and the guiding principles and 

17 doctrines of the United States, particularly freedom 

18 and democracy. 

19 ‘‘(4) To ensure that United States international 

20 broadcasting is conducted in accordance with the 

21 standards and principles contained in section 303. 

22 ‘‘(5) To review, evaluate, and determine, at 

23 least annually, after consultation with the Secretary 

24 of State, the addition or deletion of language serv25 ices. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(6) To review engineering activities to ensure 

2 that all broadcasting elements receive the highest 

3 quality and cost-effective delivery services. 

4 ‘‘(7) To undertake such studies as may be nec5 essary to identify areas in which broadcasting activi6 ties under its authority could be made more efficient 

7 and economical. 

8 ‘‘(8) To submit to the President and the Con9 gress an annual report which summarizes and evalu10 ates activities under this title, the Radio Broad11 casting to Cuba Act, and the Television Broad12 casting to Cuba Act, placing special emphasis on the 

13 assessment described in paragraph (2). 

14 ‘‘(9) To procure supplies, services, and other 

15 personal property to carry out the functions of the 

16 Agency. 

17 ‘‘(10) To obligate and expend, for official recep18 tion and representation expenses, such amounts as 

19 may be made available through appropriations. 

20 ‘‘(11) To make available in the annual report 

21 required by paragraph (8) information on funds ex22 pended on administrative and managerial services by 

23 the Agency and by grantees and the steps the Agen24 cy has taken to reduce unnecessary overhead costs 

25 for each of the broadcasting services. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(12) To provide for the use of United States 

2 Government transmitter capacity for relay of broad3 casting by grantees. 

4 ‘‘(13)(A) To procure temporary and intermit5 tent personal services to the same extent as is au6 thorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States 

7 Code, at rates not to exceed the daily equivalent of 

8 the rate provided for positions classified above grade 

9 GS–15 of the General Schedule under section 5108 

10 of title 5, United States Code. 

11 ‘‘(B) To allow those providing such services, 

12 while away from their homes or their regular places 

13 of business, travel expenses (including per diem in 

14 lieu of subsistence) as authorized by section 5703 of 

15 title 5, United States Code, for persons in the Gov16 ernment service employed intermittently, while so 

17 employed. 

18 ‘‘(14) To procure for the Agency, pursuant to 

19 section 1535 of title 31, United States Code (com20 monly known as the ‘Economy Act’), goods and serv21 ices from other departments or agencies. 

22 ‘‘(15) To the extent funds are available, to lease 

23 space and acquire personal property for the Agency 

24 and the Board for International Broadcasting. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(16) To utilize the provisions of titles III, IV, 

2 V, VII, VIII, IX, and X of the United States Infor3 mation and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, and 

4 section 6 of Reorganization Plan Number 2 of 1977, 

5 as in effect on the day before the effective date of 

6 title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolida7 tion Act of 1998, to the extent the Agency considers 

8 necessary in carrying out the provisions and pur9 poses of this title. 

10 ‘‘(17) To utilize the authorities of any other 

11 statute, reorganization plan, Executive order, regula12 tion, agreement, determination, or other official doc13 ument or proceeding that had been available to the 

14 Director of the United States Information Agency, 

15 the Bureau, or the Board before the effective date 

16 of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Consolidation Act 

17 of 1998 for carrying out the broadcasting activities 

18 covered by this title. 

19 ‘‘(b) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—The Agency 

20 may delegate to any other officer or employee of the 

21 United States the authorities provided in this section, ex22 cept those authorities provided in paragraph (1), (2), (3), 

23 (4), (5), (8), or (9) of subsection (a). 

24 ‘‘(c) BROADCASTING BUDGETS.—


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(1) The grantees identified in sections 308 

2 and 309 shall submit proposed budgets to the Agen3 cy. The Agency shall forward its recommendations 

4 concerning the proposed budget for the Agency and 

5 broadcasting activities under this title, the Radio 

6 Broadcasting to Cuba Act, and the Television 

7 Broadcasting to Cuba Act to the Office of Manage8 ment and Budget. 

9 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Agency shall include 

10 in the Agency’s submission to the Office of Manage11 ment and Budget the comments and recommenda12 tions of the Board for International Broadcasting 

13 concerning the proposed broadcasting budget. 

14 ‘‘(d) PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE OF BROAD15 CASTERS.—Consistent with standards and principles set 

16 forth in section 303, the Secretary of State and the Agen17 cy, in carrying out their functions, shall respect the profes18 sional independence and integrity of the Agency’s broad19 casting services and the grantees identified in sections 308 

20 and 309.’’. 

21 SEC. 303. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

22 Section 306 of the United States International 

23 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6205) is amended 

24 to read as follows:


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘SEC. 306. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

2 ‘‘To assist the Agency in carrying out its functions, 

3 the Secretary of State shall provide such information and 

4 guidance on foreign policy and public diplomacy issues to 

5 the Agency as the Secretary considers appropriate.’’. 

6 SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARD FOR INTERNATIONAL 

7 BROADCASTING. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 307 of the United States 

9 International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6206) 

10 is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 307. ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARD FOR INTER12 NATIONAL BROADCASTING. 

13 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

14 the Board for International Broadcasting. The Board for 

15 International Broadcasting shall exist as a permanent en16 tity. 

17 ‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES.—The Board for 

18 International Broadcasting shall have the following func19 tions and duties: 

20 ‘‘(1) To make and supervise grants for broad21 casting and related activities in accordance with sec22 tions 308 and 309. 

23 ‘‘(2) To allocate funds appropriated for inter24 national broadcasting activities among the various 

25 elements of the Agency and grantees, subject to the 

26 limitations in sections 308 and 309 and subject to 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 reprogramming notification requirements in law for 

2 the reallocation of funds. 

3 ‘‘(3) To develop strategic goals after reviewing 

4 human rights reporting and other reliable assess5 ments to assist in determining programming and re6 source allocation. 

7 ‘‘(4) To assist the Agency in carrying out its 

8 authorities and functions by providing such insight, 

9 expert advice, and ideas as the Board for Inter10 national Broadcasting considers appropriate. The 

11 Board shall advise the Director regarding the main12 tenance of journalistic integrity and objectivity in re13 porting within the Agency. 

14 ‘‘(c) REPORTS.—The Board for International Broad15 casting shall submit an annual report on its activities and 

16 findings to the Agency and the Congress. The Board for 

17 International Broadcasting may submit such other peri18 odic or special reports as the Board considers necessary. 

19 ‘‘(d) COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD.—

20 ‘‘(1) The Board for International Broadcasting 

21 shall consist of 9 members, as follows: 

22 ‘‘(A) Eight voting members who shall be 

23 appointed by the President, by and with the ad24 vice and consent of the Senate. 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 ‘‘(B) The Secretary of State who shall also 

2 be a voting member. 

3 ‘‘(2) The President shall appoint one member 

4 (other than the Secretary of State) as Chair of the 

5 Board for International Broadcasting, subject to the 

6 advice and consent of the Senate. 

7 ‘‘(3) Exclusive of the Secretary of State, not 

8 more than 4 of the members of the Board for Inter9 national Broadcasting appointed by the President 

10 shall be of the same political party. 

11 ‘‘(e) TERM OF OFFICE.—The term of office of each 

12 member of the Board for International Broadcasting shall 

13 be three years, except that the Secretary of State shall 

14 remain a member of the Board for International Broad15 casting during the Secretary’s term of service. Of the 

16 other 8 voting members, the initial terms of office of two 

17 members shall be one year, and the initial terms of office 

18 of 3 other members shall be two years, as determined by 

19 the President. The President shall appoint, by and with 

20 the advice and consent of the Senate, board members to 

21 fill vacancies occurring prior to the expiration of a term, 

22 in which case the members so appointed shall serve for 

23 the remainder of such term. Any member whose term has 

24 expired may serve until a successor has been appointed 

25 and qualified. When there is no Secretary of State, the 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 Acting Secretary of State shall serve as a member of the 

2 board until a Secretary is appointed. 

3 ‘‘(f) SELECTION OF BOARD FOR INTERNATIONAL

4 BROADCASTING.—Members of the Board for International 

5 Broadcasting appointed by the President shall be citizens 

6 of the United States who are not regular full-time employ7 ees of the United States Government. Such members shall 

8 be selected by the President from among Americans distin9 guished in the fields of mass communications, print, 

10 broadcast media, or foreign affairs. 

11 ‘‘(g) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Board for 

12 International Broadcasting, while attending meetings of 

13 the board or while engaged in duties relating to such meet14 ings or in other activities of the board pursuant to this 

15 section (including travel time) shall be entitled to receive 

16 compensation equal to the daily equivalent of the com17 pensation prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule 

18 under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code. While 

19 away from their homes or regular places of business, mem20 bers of the board may be allowed travel expenses, includ21 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law 

22 (5 U.S.C. 5703) for persons in the Government service 

23 employed intermittently. The Secretary of State shall not 

24 be entitled to any compensation under this title, but may 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 be allowed travel expenses as provided under this sub2 section. 

3 ‘‘(h) DECISIONS.—Decisions of the Board for Inter4 national Broadcasting shall be made by majority vote, a 

5 quorum being present. A quorum shall consist of 5 mem6 bers. 

7 ‘‘(i) IMMUNITY FROM CIVIL LIABILITY.—Notwith8 standing any other provision of law, any and all limitations 

9 on liability that apply to the members of the Board for 

10 International Broadcasting also shall apply to such mem11 bers when acting in their capacities as members of the 

12 boards of directors of RFE/RL, Incorporated and Radio 

13 Free Asia. 

14 ‘‘(j) STAFF.—The Board for International Broad15 casting may employ such staff as is necessary to perform 

16 functions that cannot be performed appropriately by em17 ployees of the Agency. Staff employed by the board shall 

18 be subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, 

19 governing appointments in the competitive service, and 

20 their compensation shall be fixed in accordance with the 

21 provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 

22 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule 

23 pay rates. 

24 ‘‘(k) SUPPORT FROM OTHER AGENCIES.—Upon re25 quest of the Board for International Broadcasting, the


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 head of a Federal agency may detail any of the personnel 

2 of that agency to the board to assist the board in carrying 

3 out its duties under this title. 

4 ‘‘(l) TEMPORARY AND INTERMITTENT SERVICES.—

5 The Board for International Broadcasting may procure by 

6 contract, to the extent funds are available, the temporary 

7 or intermittent services of experts or consultants pursuant 

8 to section 3109 of title 5, United States Code.’’. 

9 (b) RETENTION OF EXISTING BOARD MEMBERS.—

10 The members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors ap11 pointed by the President pursuant to section 304 of the 

12 United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 be13 fore the effective date of this title and holding office as 

14 of that date may serve the remainder of their terms of 

15 office as members of the Board for International Broad16 casting established under subsection (a) without re17 appointment. 

18 SEC. 305. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

19 The United States International Broadcasting Act of 

20 1994 is amended by adding after section 305 the following 

21 new section: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 305A. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

23 ‘‘(a) OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.—The Director 

24 may appoint and fix the compensation of such officers and 

25 employees as may be necessary to carry out the functions 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 of the Agency. Except as otherwise provided by law, such 

2 officers and employees shall be appointed in accordance 

3 with the civil service laws and their compensation shall 

4 be fixed in accordance with title 5, United States Code. 

5 ‘‘(b) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Director, 

6 as may be provided in appropriation Acts, may obtain the 

7 services of experts and consultants in accordance with sec8 tion 3109 of title 5, United States Code, and may com9 pensate such experts and consultants at rates not to ex10 ceed the daily rate prescribed for level IV of the Executive 

11 Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 

12 Code. 

13 ‘‘(c) ACCEPTANCE OF VOLUNTARY SERVICES.—

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 

15 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Director 

16 may accept, subject to regulations issued by the Of17 fice of Personnel Management, voluntary services if 

18 such services—

19 ‘‘(A) are to be uncompensated; and 

20 ‘‘(B) are not used to displace any em21 ployee. 

22 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—Any individual who pro23 vides voluntary services under this section shall not 

24 be considered a Federal employee for any purpose 

25 other than for purposes of chapter 81 of title 5, 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 United States Code (relating to compensation for in2 jury) and sections 2671 through 2680 of title 28, 

3 United States Code (relating to tort claims). 

4 ‘‘(d) DELEGATION.—Except as otherwise provided in 

5 this Act, the Director may delegate any function to such 

6 officers and employees of the Agency as the Director may 

7 designate, and may authorize such successive redelega8 tions of such functions within the Agency as may be nec9 essary or appropriate. No delegation of functions by the 

10 Director under this section or under any other provision 

11 of this Act shall relieve the Director of responsibility for 

12 the administration of such functions. 

13 ‘‘(e) CONTRACTS.—

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the Federal 

15 Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 

16 and other applicable Federal law, the Director may 

17 make, enter into, and perform such contracts, 

18 grants, leases, cooperative agreements, and other 

19 similar transactions with Federal or other public 

20 agencies (including State and local governments) 

21 and private organizations and persons, and to make 

22 such payments, by way of advance or reimburse23 ment, as the Director may determine necessary or 

24 appropriate to carry out functions of the Director or 

25 the Agency. 


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1 ‘‘(2) APPROPRIATION AUTHORITY REQUIRED.—

2 No authority to enter into contracts or to make pay3 ments under this title shall be effective except to 

4 such extent or in such amounts as are provided in 

5 advance under appropriation Acts. 

6 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Director may prescribe 

7 such rules and regulations as the Director considers nec8 essary or appropriate to administer and manage the func9 tions of the Director or the Agency, in accordance with 

10 chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

11 ‘‘(g) SEAL.—The Director shall cause a seal of office 

12 to be made for the Agency of such design as the Director 

13 shall approve. Judicial notice shall be taken of such seal.’’. 

14 SEC. 306. BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND 

15 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING BUREAU. 

16 The Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Inter17 national Broadcasting Bureau are abolished. 

18 SEC. 307. TRANSITION. 

19 (a) TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.—Except as otherwise 

20 provided in this title or an amendment made by this title, 

21 all functions that on the day before the effective date spec22 ified in section 311 are authorized to be performed by the 

23 Broadcasting Board of Governors and the International 

24 Broadcasting Bureau and any officer, employee, or compo25 nent of such entities, under any statute, reorganization


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 plan, Executive order, or other provision of law, are trans2 ferred to the Agency established under this title effective 

3 on that date. 

4 (b) DETERMINATION OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS.—If 

5 necessary, the Office of Management and Budget shall 

6 make any determination of the functions that are trans7 ferred under this title. 

8 (c) TRANSITION PROVISIONS.—

9 (1) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES.—Except as 

10 otherwise provided by law, the Director may, for 

11 purposes of performing a function that is trans12 ferred to the Director by this title, exercise all au13 thorities under any other provision of law that were 

14 available with respect to the performance of that 

15 function to the official responsible for the perform16 ance of that function on the day before the effective 

17 date specified in section 311. 

18 (2) AUTHORITIES TO WIND UP AFFAIRS.—

19 (A) The Director of the Office of Manage20 ment and Budget may take such actions as the 

21 Director of the Office of Management and 

22 Budget considers necessary to wind up any out23 standing affairs of the Broadcasting Board of 

24 Governors and the International Broadcasting 


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1 Bureau associated with the functions that are 

2 transferred pursuant to subsection (a). 

3 (B) The Director may take such actions as 

4 the Director considers necessary to wind up any 

5 outstanding affairs of the Broadcasting Board 

6 of Governors and the International Broad7 casting Bureau associated with the functions 

8 that are transferred pursuant to subsection (a). 

9 (3) TRANSFER OF ASSETS.—Any property, 

10 records, unexpended balances of appropriations, allo11 cations, and other funds employed, used, held, avail12 able, or to be made available in connection with a 

13 function transferred to the Agency by this Act are 

14 transferred on the effective date specified in section 

15 311. 

16 SEC. 308. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

17 (a) UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL BROAD18 CASTING ACT OF 1994.—The United States International 

19 Broadcasting Act of 1994 is amended as follows: 

20 (1) Section 308 (22 U.S.C. 6207) is amended—

21 (A) in subsection (a)—

22 (i) by striking ‘‘The Board’’ and in23 serting ‘‘The Agency’’; and 

24 (ii) in paragraph (1) by striking 

25 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and 


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1 inserting ‘‘Board for International Broad2 casting’’; 

3 (B) in subsection (b)—

4 (i) by striking paragraph (2); 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘(1)’’; and 

6 (iii) by striking ‘‘Board’’ both places 

7 it appears and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; 

8 (C) in subsections (c), (d), (g), (h), and (i) 

9 by striking ‘‘Board’’ each place it appears and 

10 inserting ‘‘Agency’’; and 

11 (D) in subsections (i) and (j) by striking 

12 ‘‘and the Foreign Service’’ each place it ap13 pears. 

14 (2) Section 309 (22 U.S.C. 6208) is amended—

15 (A) in subsection (c)(1) by striking 

16 ‘‘Board’’ both places it appears and inserting 

17 ‘‘Agency’’; 

18 (B) by striking subsection (e); 

19 (C) in subsections (f) and (g) by striking 

20 ‘‘Board’’ each place it appears and inserting 

21 ‘‘Agency’’; and 

22 (D) in subsection (g) by striking ‘‘Chair23 man of the Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’. 

24 (3) By striking section 311 (22 U.S.C. 6210). 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 (4) In section 313 (22 U.S.C. 6212) by striking 

2 ‘‘Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’. 

3 (5) In section 314 (22 U.S.C. 6213) by striking 

4 paragraph (2). 

5 (6) By striking section 315. 

6 (b) CUBAN LIBERTY AND DEMOCRATIC SOLIDARITY

7 (LIBERTAD) ACT OF 1996.—Section 107 of the Cuban 

8 Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 

9 1996 (22 U.S.C. 6037) is amended in subsections (a) and 

10 (b) by striking ‘‘International Broadcasting Bureau’’ each 

11 place it appears and inserting ‘‘United States Inter12 national Broadcasting Agency’’. 

13 (c) RADIO BROADCASTING TO CUBA ACT.—The 

14 Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465 et seq.) 

15 is amended as follows: 

16 (1) In section 3 (22 U.S.C. 1465a) as follows: 

17 (A) In the section heading by striking 

18 ‘‘BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOV19 ERNORS’’ and inserting ‘‘UNITED STATES 

20 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 

21 AGENCY’’. 

22 (B) In subsection (a) by striking ‘‘the 

23 ‘Board’)’’ and inserting ‘‘the ‘Agency’)’’. 

24 (C) In subsections (a), (d), and (f) by 

25 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’


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42

•HR 3969 IH 

1 and inserting ‘‘United States International 

2 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

3 (3) In section 4 (22 U.S.C. 1465b) as follows: 

4 (A) In the first sentence by striking ‘‘The’’ 

5 and all that follows through ‘‘Bureau’’ and in6 serting: ‘‘The Director of the United States 

7 International Broadcasting Agency shall estab8 lish within the Agency’’. 

9 (B) In the third sentence by striking 

10 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘Director of the United States Inter12 national Broadcasting Agency’’. 

13 (C) In the fourth sentence by striking 

14 ‘‘Board of the International Broadcasting Bu15 reau’’ and inserting ‘‘Director of the United 

16 States International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

17 (4) In section 5 (22 U.S.C. 1465c) as follows: 

18 (A) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Broad19 casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting ‘‘Di20 rector of the United States International 

21 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

22 (B) By striking ‘‘Board’’ each place it ap23 pears and inserting ‘‘Advisory Board’’. 

24 (5) In section 6 (22 U.S.C. 1465d) as follows: 


78949b.ABQ
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43

•HR 3969 IH 

1 (A) In subsection (a) by striking ‘‘Broad2 casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

4 Agency’’ and by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘Director of the United States International 

6 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

7 (B) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Board’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘United States International 

9 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

10 (6) In section 7 (22 U.S.C. 1465e) by striking 

11 ‘‘Board’’ in subsections (b) and (d) and inserting 

12 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

13 (7) In section 8(a) (22 U.S.C. 1465f(a)), by 

14 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and in15 serting ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

16 Agency’’. 

17 (d) TELEVISION BROADCASTING TO CUBA ACT.—

18 The Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 

19 1465aa note) is amended as follows: 

20 (1) Section 243(a) (22 U.S.C. 1465bb) is 

21 amended by striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Gov22 ernors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States International 

23 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

24 (2) Section 244 (22 U.S.C. 1465cc) is amended 

25 as follows: 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 (A) In subsection (a) by amending the 

2 third sentence to read as follows: ‘‘The Director 

3 of the United States International Broadcasting 

4 Agency shall appoint a head of the Service who 

5 shall report directly to the Director.’’. 

6 (B) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Board’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘Agency’’. 

8 (C) In subsection (c) by striking ‘‘The 

9 Board’’ and inserting ‘‘The Agency’’ and by 

10 striking ‘‘Board determines’’ and inserting ‘‘Di11 rector of the United States International 

12 Broadcasting Agency determines’’. 

13 (3) In section 246 (22 U.S.C. 1465dd) by strik14 ing ‘‘United States Information Agency’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

16 Agency’’ and by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Di17 rector of the United States International Broad18 casting Agency’’. 

19 SEC. 309. REFERENCES. 

20 Except as otherwise provided in this title or an 

21 amendment made by this title, any reference in any stat22 ute, reorganization plan, Executive order, regulation, 

23 agreement, determination, or other official document or 

24 proceeding to the Broadcasting Board of Governors and 

25 the International Broadcasting Bureau or any other offiVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HR 3969 IH 

1 cer or employee of the Board of Governors or the Inter2 national Broadcasting Bureau shall be deemed to refer to 

3 the United States International Broadcasting Agency es4 tablished under this title. 

5 SEC. 310. BROADCASTING STANDARDS. 

6 Section 303(a) of the United States International 

7 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6202(a)) is amend8 ed—

9 (1) in paragraph (6) by striking ‘‘and’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (7) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after 

11 the semicolon; 

12 (3) in paragraph (8) by striking the period and 

13 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (4) by adding after paragraph (8) the following 

15 new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(9) seek to ensure that resources are allocated 

17 to broadcasts directed at people whose governments 

18 deny freedom of expression or who are otherwise in 

19 special need of honest and professional broadcasting, 

20 commensurate with the need for such broadcasts.’’. 

21 SEC. 311. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

22 Except as otherwise provided, this title and the 

23 amendments made by this title shall take effect on the 


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•HR 3969 IH 

1 last day of the 6-month period beginning on the date of 

2 the enactment of this Act.

Æ


78949b.ABU
68

Chairman HYDE. As Americans, we are justly proud of our country. If any nation that has been a greater force for good in the long 

and tormented history of the world, I am unaware of it. We have 

guarded whole continents from conquest, showered aid on distant 

lands, sent thousands of youthful idealists to remote and often inhospitable areas to help the world’s forgotten. 

Why, then, when we read or listen to descriptions of America in 

the foreign press do we so often seem to be entering a fantasy land 

of hatred? Much of the popular press overseas, often including the 

government-owned media, depict the United States as a force for 

evil, accusing this country of an endless number of malevolent plots 

against the world. Today, as we strike against the terrorists who 

masterminded the murder of thousands of Americans, our actions 

are widely depicted in the Muslim world as a war against Islam. 

Our efforts at self-defense, which should be supported by every decent person on this plant, instead spark riots that threaten governments that dare to cooperate with us. 

How is it that the country that invented Hollywood and Madison 

Avenue have such trouble promoting a positive image of itself overseas? Over the years, the images of mindless hatred directed at us 

have become familiar fixtures on our television screens. All this 

time, we have heard calls that ‘‘something must be done.’’ Clearly, 

whatever has been done is not enough. 

I believe that the problem is too great and too entrenched to be 

solved by tweaking an agency here or reshuffling a program there. 

We must rethink our entire approach and seek out new perspectives and approaches. We must address both our immediate needs 

and also lay the groundwork for long-term changes, changes that 

must include utilizing the full range of modern media and tapping 

into the private sector’s vast expertise in the creation and the promotion of compelling messages and images. Our goal should not 

merely be to talk to the government and the leaders of the world 

but to engage all levels of the public in every country. We have 

tens of millions of real and potential allies out there that we have 

yet to reach. 

To that end, along with my co-sponsors, Mr. Lantos and Mr. Berman, I have introduced H.R. 3969, the Freedom Promotion Act of 

2002. 

This bipartisan legislation lays out an activist agenda for the Department of State’s public diplomacy programs, focuses new resources on exchange programs with the Muslim world, and 

strengthens our international broadcasting efforts. Its provisions 

represent input from a wide variety of sources and expertise, including current and former officials in the State Department and 

other government agencies, the academic community, the private 

sector, in addition to two hearings this Committee has held on this 

subject last fall. 

The bill is divided into three titles. The major provisions of Title 

I elevate the role and prominence of public diplomacy in the State 

Department’s programs and decisionmaking and include a requirement that the Secretary of State prepare an annual strategic plan 

for the use of public diplomacy, along with an operational plan for 

its implementation. 

69

Title II establishes a series of initiatives focused on the Muslim 

world, the goal of which is to increase those populations’ direct contact with the American people for the purpose of enhancing their 

understanding of the United States and its values. 

Title III establishes greater clarity and responsibility regarding 

decisionmaking in our international broadcasting operations. All 

sources agree that the current organizational structure produces 

great confusion. One senior Administration official has told me 

that, because that structure is so diffuse and overlapping, when 

they call over there, they have no idea who to ask for. Our purpose, 

however, is not merely to rationalize decisionmaking but to do so 

with the aim of promoting a process of reform throughout our 

broadcasting efforts. For the truth is that much of our current effort is grossly inadequate in terms of its reach and the effectiveness 

of its message. Keeping the status quo intact is simply not an acceptable option. 

Overall, there is broad agreement regarding what our public diplomacy goals should be. However, there are some philosophical 

and institutional differences among people of good will regarding 

the best way of achieving these. I should note that the State Department has a few outstanding concerns regarding this legislation, 

and we are continuing our discussions toward a mutually satisfactory resolution of these issues. 

It is, of course, understandable that the Department of State and 

other agencies would prefer that Congress authorize broad programs and provide general appropriations which would allow these 

agencies a maximum flexibility regarding their programs and decisionmaking. 

I take a different view of our responsibilities. Article I, section 

8 of the U.S. Constitution—which I believe remains a relevant document—empowers the Congress, and I quote,

‘‘. . . to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for 

carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other 

Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the 

United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.’’

The language could not be more clear. We, the elected representatives, have a duty to act when the public interest is at stake. We 

are offering this bill because our government’s efforts to date regarding public diplomacy have been far from satisfactory. In saying 

that, my intention is not to lay blame on any individual or any Administration. The problem is a long-standing one. But it must be 

corrected, not in the future, but now. 

The President has said we are in a war. We simply do not have 

the luxury of continuing to operate in a casual, business-as-usual 

manner. To those who might oppose this bill, let me ask: What 

other option have you or anyone else put forward? I am surprised 

and somewhat saddened to have to point out this is the only bill 

that has been put forward that addresses this vital subject. 

It is my intention to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. This amendment addresses many of the concerns raised by 

Members of this Committee and by the Department of State and 

other agencies. I reiterate, it is a bipartisan effort that greatly 

strengthens the original. 

70

Having said that, I must add, this legislation cannot do everything. It is not intended as a final word on anything. There are 

many issues it does not address and we will turn to those in the 

near future. 

I am not interested in making symbolic gestures; I intend for this 

bill to be enacted. Our goal should be to get something done, to 

start a process that is long overdue, and which our country is in 

great need. It is for the sake of that effort I ask for the Members’ support of this bill. 

I also ask their forbearance in offering other amendments that, 

while well-intentioned, and with which I may actually agree, will 

only have the effect of reducing this bill’s chances of becoming law 

and thereby hinder the preparations our country must begin now 

if it is to triumph in the long battles that lay ahead of us. 

And I am now pleased to yield to my indispensable co-sponsor, 

Mr. Lantos. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Hyde follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE HENRY J. HYDE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, AND CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INTER- NATIONAL RELATIONS

As Americans, we are justly proud of our country. If any nation has been a greater force for good in the long and tormented history of this world, I am unaware of 

it. We have guarded whole continents from conquest, showered aid on distant lands, 

sent thousands of youthful idealists to remote and often inhospitable areas to help 

the world’s forgotten. 

Why, then, when we read or listen to descriptions of America in the foreign press, 

do we so often seem to be entering a fantasyland of hatred? Much of the popular 

press overseas, often including the government-owned media, daily depict the 

United States as a force for evil, accusing this country of an endless number of malevolent plots against the world. Today, as we strike against the terrorists who masterminded the murder of thousands of Americans, our actions are widely depicted 

in the Muslim world as a war against Islam. Our efforts at self-defense, which 

should be supported by every decent person on this planet, instead spark riots that 

threaten governments that dare to cooperate with us. 

How is it that the country that invented Hollywood and Madison Avenue has such 

trouble promoting a positive image of itself overseas? Over the years, the images 

of mindless hatred directed at us have become familiar fixtures on our television 

screens. All this time, we have heard calls that ‘‘something must be done.’’ But, 

clearly, whatever has been done has not been enough. 

I believe that the problem is too great and too entrenched to be solved by tweaking an agency here or reshuffling a program there. We must rethink our entire approach and seek out new perspectives and approaches. We must address both our 

immediate needs and also lay the groundwork for long-term changes, changes that 

must include utilizing the full range of modern media and tapping into the private 

sector’s vast expertise in the creation and promotion of compelling messages and images. Our goal should not merely be to talk to the governments and elites of the 

world but to engage all levels of the public in every country. We have tens of millions of real and potential allies out there that we have yet to reach. 

To that end, along with my co-sponsors Mr. Lantos and Mr. Berman, I have introduced H.R. 3969, the Freedom Promotion Act of 2002. 

This bipartisan legislation lays out an activist agenda for the Department of 

State’s public diplomacy programs, focuses new resources on exchange programs 

with the Muslim world, and strengthens our international broadcasting efforts. Its 

provisions represent input from a wide variety of sources and expertise, including 

current and former officials in the State Department and other government agencies, the academic community, and the private sector, in addition to two hearings 

this Committee held on this subject last fall. 

This bill is divided into three titles. The major provisions of Title I elevate the 

role and prominence of public diplomacy in the State Department’s programs and 

decision-making and include a requirement that the Secretary of State prepare an 

annual strategic plan for the use of public diplomacy, along with an operational plan 

for its implementation. Title II establishes a series of initiatives focused on the MusVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL
71

lim world, the goal of which is to increase those populations’ direct contact with the 

American people for the purpose of enhancing their understanding of the United 

States and its values. 

Title III establishes greater clarity and responsibility regarding decision-making 

in our international broadcasting operations. All sources agree that the current organizational structure produces great confusion. One senior Administration official 

has told me that, because that structure is so diffuse and overlapping, when they 

call over there, they have no idea who to ask for. Our purpose, however, is not merely to rationalize decision-making but to do so with the aim of promoting a process 

of reform throughout our broadcasting efforts. For the truth is that much of our current effort is grossly inadequate in terms of its reach and the effectiveness of its 

message. Keeping the status quo intact is simply not an acceptable option. 

Overall, there is broad agreement regarding what our public diplomacy goals 

should be. However, there are some philosophical and institutional differences 

among people of good will regarding the best way of achieving these. I should note 

that the State Department has a few outstanding concerns regarding this legislation, and we are continuing our discussions toward a mutually satisfactory resolution of these issues. 

It is, of course, understandable that the Department of State and other agencies 

in the executive branch would prefer that Congress authorize broad programs and 

provide general appropriations which would allow these agencies a maximum flexibility regarding their programs and decision-making. 

I, however, take a different view of our responsibilities. Article I, Section 8 of the 

U.S. Constitution—which I believe remains a relevant document—empowers the 

Congress:

‘To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution 

in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.’’

The language could not be more clear. We, the elected representatives of the 

American people, have a duty to act when the public interest is at stake. We are 

offering this bill because our government’s efforts to date regarding public diplomacy 

have been far from satisfactory. In saying that, my intention is not to lay blame 

on any individual nor on any Administration. The problem is a long-standing one. 

But it must be corrected, and not at some future time, but now. 

The President has said we are in a war. We simply do not have the luxury of continuing to operate in a casual, business-as-usual manner. To those who might oppose this bill, let me ask: What other option have you or anyone else put forward? 

I am surprised and somewhat saddened to have to have to point out that this is 

the only bill that has been put forward that addresses this vital subject. 

It is my intention to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. This 

amendment addresses many of the concerns raised by members of this Committee 

and by the Department of State and other agencies. It is a bipartisan effort that 

greatly strengthens the original. 

Having said that, I must add that this legislation cannot do everything. It is not 

intended as a final word on anything. There are many issues it does not address, 

and we will to turn to those in the near future. 

I am not interested in making symbolic gestures; I intend for this bill to be enacted. Our goal should be to get something done, to start a process that is long overdue and of which our country is in great need. It is for the sake of that effort that 

I ask for the Members’ support of this bill. I also ask for their forbearance in offering amendments that, while well-intentioned, and with which I may actually agree, 

will only have the effect of reducing this bill’s chances of becoming law and thereby 

hinder the preparations our country must begin now if it is to triumph in the long 

battles that lie ahead of us.

Mr. LANTOS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

Let me first say that today that we all celebrate yet another 

milestone in Henry Hyde’s extraordinary distinguished legislative 

career. 

I applaud you for tackling this important issue, Mr. Chairman, 

and crafting this very serious and important piece of legislation. 

Due to your strong leadership, public diplomacy has become a central concern of this Committee and integral part of public debate 

since September 11. Your efforts to promote American interests 

72

and values through public diplomacy reflect very well upon this 

Committee, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to support you in pursuing 

this noble goal and to co-sponsor this important bill. 

I also wish to commend a distinguished colleague and my good 

friend, Mr. Berman of California for spearheading efforts to craft 

the substitute amendment we are considering today. 

Since enactment of your 1994 international broadcasting reform 

bill, you have been a tireless advocate for broadcasting America’s 

message abroad while ensuring the credibility and professional integrity of our broadcasters. I deeply appreciate your strong leadership on this vital matter. 

Winning the information war is critical to winning the war on 

terrorism. To prevent future terrorist attacks against Americans, 

we must enhance international understanding of U.S. policies and 

U.S. values, and we must respond to the hateful anti-American 

propaganda that fuels terrorism. This can only be done through 

strong public diplomacy, including aggressive amplification of our 

message, expanded cultural and educational exchanges, and intensified international broadcasting. 

Mr. Chairman, the substitute amendment we are considering 

today represents the very best in bipartisanship in the pursuit of 

U.S. national security interests. With the modifications included in 

this amendment, the management of U.S. international broadcasting and the political firewall essential to maintain its credibility will be strengthened. It deserves strong bipartisan support, 

and I ask all of my colleagues to support this legislation. 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, any Member may place his 

or her opening statements in the record of today’s proceedings. 

I have an amendment in the nature of a substitute which all the 

Members have before them. Without objection, the amendment in 

the nature of a substitute will be considered as read. I yield myself 

5 minutes to explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute. 

This bipartisan amendment that reflects accommodations among 

the Republicans and Democrats on this Committee also responds to 

some of the concerns expressed by the Administration. Significant 

changes are made to Title III which is the reorganization of international broadcasting. 

I want to be sure to express my appreciation for the extensive 

role Mr. Berman took in shaping this compromise which will go a 

long way toward achieving the goal of creating an efficient international broadcasting organization. Essentially, the amendments to 

title III clarify the purpose of the original bill, which was not to 

reduce the authority of the current Board of Broadcasting Governors, but to increase the efficiency of our broadcasting agency by 

putting day-to-day executive functions in the hands of a single fulltime official, the Director of the U.S. International Broadcasting 

Agency. 

I am fully supportive of this bipartisan amendment in the nature 

of a substitute for the original text of H.R. 3969, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I ask unanimous consent that my fuller description of the amendment in the nature of this substitute be inserted at this point in the record. 

[The information referred to follows:]

73

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

TO H.R. 3969

OFFERED BY MR. HYDE, MR. LANTOS, AND MR. 

BERMAN

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 

following:

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Freedom Promotion 

3 Act of 2002’’. 

4 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

5 The table of contents is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 

Sec. 101. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 102. Public diplomacy responsibilities of the Department of State. 

Sec. 103. Annual plan on public diplomacy strategy. 

Sec. 104. Public diplomacy training. 

Sec. 105. United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. 

Sec. 106. Library program. 

Sec. 107. Funding and authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL 

PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

Sec. 201. Establishment of initiatives for predominantly Muslim countries. 

Sec. 202. Database of alumni of American and foreign participants in exchange 

programs. 

Sec. 203. Report on inclusion of freedom and democracy advocates in educational and cultural exchange programs. 

Sec. 204. Fulbright-Hays authorities. 

Sec. 205. Supplemental authorization of appropriations. 


78949c.AAB
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2

H.L.C.

TITLE III—REORGANIZATION OF UNITED STATES 

INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 

Sec. 301. Establishment of United States International Broadcasting Agency. 

Sec. 302. Authorities and functions of the agency. 

Sec. 303. Role of the secretary of State. 

Sec. 304. Administrative provisions. 

Sec. 305. Broadcasting Board of Governors and International Broadcasting 

Bureau. 

Sec. 306. Transition. 

Sec. 307. Conforming amendments. 

Sec. 308. References. 

Sec. 309. Broadcasting standards. 

Sec. 310. Effective date.

1 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com5 mittees’’ means the Committee on International Re6 lations and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

7 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropria9 tions of the Senate. 

10 (2) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

11 means the Department of State. 

12 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of State. 

14 TITLE I—UNITED STATES 

15 PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 

16 SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

18 findings: 


78949c.AAC
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3

H.L.C.

1 (1) The United States possesses strong and 

2 deep connections with the peoples of the world sepa3 rate from its relations with their governments. These 

4 connections can be a major asset in the promotion 

5 of United States interests and foreign policy. 

6 (2) Misinformation and hostile propaganda in 

7 these countries regarding the United States and its 

8 foreign policy endanger the interests of the United 

9 States. Existing efforts to counter such misinforma10 tion and propaganda are inadequate and must be 

11 greatly enhanced in both scope and substance. 

12 (3) United States foreign policy has been ham13 pered by an insufficient consideration of the impor14 tance of public diplomacy in the formulation and im15 plementation of that policy and by the underuse of 

16 modern communication techniques. 

17 (4) The United States should have an oper18 ational strategy and a coordinated effort regarding 

19 the utilization of its public diplomacy resources. 

20 (5) The development of an operational strategy 

21 and a coordinated effort by United States agencies 

22 regarding public diplomacy would greatly enhance 

23 United States foreign policy. 

24 (6) The Secretary of State has undertaken ef25 forts to ensure that of the new job positions estabVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

78949c.AAD
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4

H.L.C.

1 lished at the Department of State after September 

2 30, 2002, a significant proportion of the positions is 

3 for public diplomacy. 

4 (b) PURPOSES.—It is the purpose of this Act to en5 hance in scope and substance, redirect, redefine, and reor6 ganize United States public diplomacy. 

7 SEC. 102. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 

8 DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The State Department Basic Au10 thorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 265 et seq.) is amended 

11 by inserting after section 56 the following new section: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 57. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 

13 DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 

15 make public diplomacy an integral component in the plan16 ning and execution of United States foreign policy. The 

17 Department of State, in coordination with the United 

18 States International Broadcasting Agency, shall develop a 

19 comprehensive strategy for the use of public diplomacy re20 sources and assume a prominent role in coordinating the 

21 efforts of all Federal agencies involved in public diplo22 macy. Public diplomacy efforts shall be addressed to devel23 oped and developing countries, to select and general audi24 ences, and shall utilize all available media to ensure that 

25 the foreign policy of the United States is properly exVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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5

H.L.C.

1 plained and understood not only by the governments of 

2 countries but also by their peoples, with the objective of 

3 enhancing support for United States foreign policy. The 

4 Secretary shall ensure that the public diplomacy strategy 

5 of the United States is cohesive and coherent and shall 

6 aggressively and through the most effective mechanisms 

7 counter misinformation and propaganda concerning the 

8 United States. The Secretary shall endeavor to articulate 

9 the importance in American foreign policy of the guiding 

10 principles and doctrines of the United States, particularly 

11 freedom and democracy. The Secretary, in coordination 

12 with the Board of Governors of the United States Inter13 national Broadcasting Agency, shall develop and articulate 

14 long-term measurable objectives for United States public 

15 diplomacy. The Secretary is authorized to produce and 

16 distribute public diplomacy programming for distribution 

17 abroad in order to achieve public diplomacy objectives, in18 cluding through satellite communication, the Internet, and 

19 other established and emerging communications tech20 nologies. In cooperation with the Agency for International 

21 Development (AID) and other public and private assist22 ance organizations and agencies, the Secretary shall en23 sure that information concerning assistance provided by 

24 the United States Government, by United States non25 governmental organizations and private entities, and by 


78949c.AAF
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6

H.L.C.

1 the American people is disseminated widely and promi2 nently, particularly within countries and regions that re3 ceive such assistance. 

4 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.— Subject to the availability of ap5 propriations, the Secretary may contract with and com6 pensate government and private agencies or persons for 

7 property and services to carry out this section.’’. 

8 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RE9 SERVE CORPS.—

10 (1) The Secretary of State shall establish a 

11 public diplomacy reserve corps to augment the public 

12 diplomacy capacity and capabilities of the Depart13 ment in emergency and critical circumstances world14 wide. The Secretary shall develop a detailed action 

15 plan for the temporary deployment and use of the 

16 corps to bolster public diplomacy resources and ex17 pertise. To the extent considered necessary and ap18 propriate, the Secretary may recruit experts in pub19 lic diplomacy and related fields from the private sec20 tor and utilize the expertise of former employees of 

21 the Department in implementing this subsection. 

22 (2) While actively serving with the reserve 

23 corps, individuals are prohibited from engaging in 

24 activities directly or indirectly intended to influence 

25 public opinion within the United States to the same 


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7

H.L.C.

1 degree that employees of the Department engaged in 

2 public diplomacy are so prohibited. 

3 (c) TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADES.—

4 (1) The Secretary shall establish a fully capable 

5 multimedia programming and distribution capacity 

6 including satellite, Internet, and other services, and 

7 also including the capability to acquire and produce 

8 audio and video feeds and Internet streaming to for9 eign news organizations. The technology and equip10 ment upgrades under the first sentence shall be fully 

11 implemented within 2 years of the date of the enact12 ment of this Act. 

13 (2) To the extent practicable, activities under 

14 this subsection shall utilize the facilities of the 

15 United States International Broadcasting Agency es16 tablished by title III for the purpose of furthering 

17 the public diplomacy objectives of the Department of 

18 state as enunciated in this section. The Secretary 

19 shall reimburse the reasonable expenses of the 

20 United States International Broadcasting Agency 

21 which are incurred as a result of the Department’s 

22 use of the Agency’s facilities. 

23 (d) FUNCTIONS OF THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR

24 PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—


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1 (1) Section 1(b)(3) of the State Department 

2 Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 

3 2651a(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘formation’’ 

4 and all that follows through the period at the end 

5 and inserting ‘‘formation, supervision, and imple6 mentation of United States public diplomacy poli7 cies, programs, and activities, including the provision 

8 of guidance to Department personnel in the United 

9 States and overseas who conduct or implement such 

10 policies, programs, and activities. The Under Sec11 retary for Public Diplomacy shall assist the United 

12 States Agency for International Broadcasting in pre13 senting the policies of the United States clearly and 

14 effectively, shall submit statements of United States 

15 policy and editorial material to the Agency for 

16 broadcast consideration in addition to material pre17 pared by the Agency, and shall ensure that editorial 

18 material created by the Agency for broadcast is re19 viewed expeditiously by the Department.’’. 

20 (2) The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, 

21 in carrying out the functions under the last sentence 

22 of section 1(b)(3) of the State Department Basic 

23 Authorities Act of 1956 (as added by paragraph (1), 

24 shall consult public diplomacy officers operating at


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1 United States overseas posts and in the regional bu2 reaus of the Department of State. 

3 SEC. 103. ANNUAL PLAN ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY STRAT4 EGY. 

5 The Secretary of State, in coordination with all ap6 propriate Federal agencies, shall prepare an annual review 

7 and analysis of the impact of public diplomacy efforts on 

8 target audiences. Each review shall assess the United 

9 States public diplomacy strategy worldwide and by region, 

10 including the allocation of resources and an evaluation and 

11 assessment of the progress in, and barriers to, achieving 

12 the goals set forth under previous plans submitted under 

13 this section. On the basis of such review, the Secretary 

14 of State, in coordination with all appropriate Federal 

15 agencies shall develop and submit to the appropriate con16 gressional committees an annual plan for the implementa17 tion of public diplomacy strategy which specifies goals, 

18 agency responsibilities, and necessary resources and mech19 anisms for achieving such goals during the next fiscal 

20 year. The plan may be submitted in classified form. 

21 SEC. 104. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TRAINING. 

22 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

23 findings: 


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1 (1) The Foreign Service should recruit individ2 uals with expertise and professional experience in 

3 public diplomacy. 

4 (2) Ambassadors should have a prominent role 

5 in the formulation of public diplomacy strategies for 

6 the countries and regions to which they are assigned 

7 and be accountable for the operation and success of 

8 public diplomacy efforts at their posts. 

9 (3) Initial and subsequent training of Foreign 

10 Service officers should be enhanced to include infor11 mation and training on public diplomacy and the 

12 tools and technology of mass communication. 

13 (b) PERSONNEL.—

14 (1) In the recruitment, training, and assign15 ment of members of the Foreign Service, the Sec16 retary shall emphasize the importance of public di17 plomacy and of applicable skills and techniques. The 

18 Secretary shall consider the priority recruitment into 

19 the Foreign Service, at middle-level entry, of individ20 uals with expertise and professional experience in 

21 public diplomacy or mass communications, especially 

22 individuals with language facility and experience in 

23 particular countries and regions. 

24 (2) The Secretary of State shall seek to in25 crease the number of Foreign Service officers proVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00086 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 ficient in languages spoken in predominantly Muslim 

2 countries. Such increase shall be accomplished 

3 through the recruitment of new officers and incen4 tives for officers in service. 

5 SEC. 105. UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUB6 LIC DIPLOMACY. 

7 (a) STUDY AND REPORT BY UNITED STATES ADVI8 SORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—Section 

9 604(c)(2) of the United States Information and Edu10 cational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1469(c)) is 

11 amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(2)(A) Not less often than every two years, the Com13 mission shall undertake an indepth review of United Sttes 

14 public diplomacy programs, policies, and activities. Each 

15 study shall assess the effectiveness of the various mecha16 nisms of United States public diplomacy, in light of fac17 tors including public and media attitudes around the world 

18 toward the United States, Americans, and United States 

19 foreign policy, and make appropriate recommendations. 

20 ‘‘(B) A comprehensive report of each study under 

21 subparagraph (A) shall be submitted to the Secretary of 

22 State and the appropriate congressional committees. At 

23 the discretion of the Commission, any report under this 

24 subsection may be submitted in classified form or with a 

25 classified appendix. 


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1 (b) INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FROM OTHER

2 AGENCIES.—Upon request of the United States Advisory 

3 Commission on Public Diplomacy, the Secretary of State, 

4 the Director of the United States International Broad5 casting Agency, and the head of any other Federal agency 

6 that conducts public diplomacy programs and activities 

7 shall provide information to the Advisory Commission to 

8 assist in carrying out the responsibilities under section 

9 604(c)(5) of the United States Information and Edu10 cational Exchange Act of 1948 (as amended by subsection 

11 (a)). 

12 (c) ENHANCING THE EXPERTISE OF UNITED STATES

13 ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.—

14 (1) QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS.—Section 

15 604((a)(2) of the United States Information and 

16 Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 

17 1469(a)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the 

18 following: ‘‘At least 4 members shall have substan19 tial experience in the conduct of public diplomacy or 

20 comparable activities in the private sector. No mem21 ber shall be an officer or employee of the United 

22 States.’’. 

23 (2) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENT.—The 

24 amendments made by paragraph (1) shall not apply 

25 to individuals who are members of the United States 


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1 Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy on the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 106. LIBRARY PROGRAM. 

4 The Secretary of State shall develop and implement 

5 a demonstration program to assist foreign governments to 

6 establish or upgrade their public library systems to im7 prove literacy and support public education. The program 

8 should provide training in the library sciences. The pur9 pose of the program shall be to advance American values 

10 and society, particularly the importance of freedom and 

11 democracy. 

12 SEC. 107. FUNDING AND AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA13 TIONS. 

14 (a) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Of the 

15 amounts authorized to be appropriated for each of the fis16 cal years 2002 and 2003 for the Diplomatic and Consular 

17 Programs of the Department of State, $297,759,000 for 

18 the fiscal year 2002 and $512,000,000 for the fiscal year 

19 2003 shall be available only for public diplomacy programs 

20 and activities as carried out prior to the Foreign Affairs 

21 Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, other than pro22 grams of educational and cultural exchange. 

23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR IM24 PROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY PROGRAMS.—


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1 (1) In addition to amounts otherwise authorized 

2 to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appro3 priated $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

4 2002 and 2003 for Diplomatic and Consular Pro5 grams of the Department of State which shall be 

6 available only for improvements and modernization 

7 of public diplomacy programs and activities of the 

8 Department of State as carried out prior to the For9 eign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, 

10 other than programs of educational and cultural ex11 change. 

12 (2) LIMITATIONS.—

13 (A) TRANSLATION SERVICES.—Of the 

14 amounts authorized to be appropriated by para15 graph (1), $4,000,000 for each of the fiscal 

16 years 2002 and 2003 is authorized to be appro17 priated only for translation services available to 

18 public affairs officers in overseas posts. 

19 (B) BROADCAST SERVICES.—Of the 

20 amounts authorized to be appropriated by para21 graph (1), $7,500,000 for each of the fiscal 

22 years 2002 and 2003 is authorized to be appro23 priated only for the Office of Broadcast Serv24 ices to carry out section 102(c). 


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1 TITLE II—UNITED STATES EDU2 CATIONAL AND CULTURAL 

3 PROGRAMS OF THE DEPART4 MENT OF STATE 

5 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIATIVES FOR PREDOMI6 NANTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

8 findings: 

9 (1) Surveys indicate that, in countries of pre10 dominantly Muslim population, opinions of the 

11 United States and American foreign policy among 

12 the general public and select audiences are signifi13 cantly distorted by highly negative and hostile beliefs 

14 and images and that many of these beliefs and im15 ages are the result of misinformation and propa16 ganda by individuals and organizations hostile to the 

17 United States. 

18 (2) These negative opinions and images are 

19 highly prejudicial to the interests of the United 

20 States and to its foreign policy. 

21 (3) As part of a broad and long-term effort to 

22 enhance a positive image of the United States in the 

23 Muslim world, a key element should be the establish24 ment of programs to promote a greater familiarity 

25 with American society and values among the general 


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1 public and select audiences in countries of predomi2 nantly Muslim population. 

3 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIATIVES.—The Sec4 retary of State shall establish the following programs with 

5 countries with predominantly Muslim populations as part 

6 of the educational and cultural exchange programs of the 

7 Department of State: 

8 (1) JOURNALISM PROGRAM.—A program for 

9 foreign journalists, editors, and postsecondary stu10 dents of journalism which, in cooperation with pri11 vate sector sponsors to include universities, shall 

12 sponsor workshops and professional training in tech13 niques, standards, and practices in the field of jour14 nalism to assist the participants to achieve the high15 est standards of professionalism. 

16 (2) ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING.—The Sec17 retary shall establish a program to provide grants to 

18 United States citizens to work in middle and sec19 ondary schools as English language teaching assist20 ants for not less than an academic year. If feasible, 

21 the host government or local educational agency 

22 shall share the salary costs of the assistants. 

23 (3) SISTER CITY PARTNERSHIPS.—The Sec24 retary shall expand and enhance sister-city partner25 ships between United States and international muVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 nicipalities in an effort to increase global cooperation 

2 at the community level. Such partnerships shall en3 courage economic development, municipal coopera4 tion, health care initiatives, youth and educational 

5 programs, disability advocacy, emergency prepared6 ness, and humanitarian assistance. 

7 (4) YOUTH AMBASSADORS.—The Secretary 

8 shall establish a program for visits by middle and 

9 secondary school students to the United States dur10 ing school holidays in their home country for periods 

11 not to exceed 4 weeks. Participating students shall 

12 reflect the economic and geographic diversity of their 

13 countries. Activities shall include cultural and edu14 cational activities designed to familiarize partici15 pating students with American society and values. 

16 To the extent practicable, such visits shall be coordi17 nated with middle and secondary schools in the 

18 United States to provide for school-based activities 

19 and interactions. The Secretary shall encourage the 

20 establishment of direct school-to-school linkages 

21 under the program. 

22 (5) FULBRIGHT EXCHANGE PROGRAM.—The 

23 Secretary shall seek to substantially increase the 

24 number of awards under the J. William Fulbright 

25 Educational Exchange Program to graduate stuVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 dents, scholars, professionals, teachers, and adminis2 trators from the United States who are applying for 

3 such awards to study, teach, conduct research, or 

4 pursue scholarship in predominantly Muslim coun5 tries. Part of such increase shall include awards for 

6 scholars and teachers who plan to teach subjects re7 lating to American studies. 

8 (6) HUBERT H. HUMPHREY FELLOWSHIPS.—

9 The Secretary shall seek to substantially increase 

10 the number of Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships 

11 awarded to candidates from predominantly Muslim 

12 countries. 

13 (7) LIBRARY TRAINING EXCHANGE PROGRAM.—

14 The Secretary shall develop an exchange program 

15 for postgradute students seeking additional training 

16 in the library sciences and related fields. 

17 (c) GENERAL PROVISION.—Programs established 

18 under this section shall be carried out under the provisions 

19 of the United States Information and Educational Ex20 change Act of 1948 and the Mutual Educational and Cul21 tural Exchange Act of 1961. 


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H.L.C.

1 SEC. 202. DATABASE OF ALUMNI OF AMERICAN AND FOR2 EIGN PARTICIPANTS IN EXCHANGE PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 To the extent practicable, the Secretary of State, in 

5 coordination with the heads of other agencies that conduct 

6 international exchange and training programs, shall estab7 lish and maintain a database listing all American and for8 eign alumni of such programs in order to encourage net9 working, interaction, and communication with alumni. 

10 SEC. 203. REPORT ON INCLUSION OF FREEDOM AND DE11 MOCRACY ADVOCATES IN EDUCATIONAL AND 

12 CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. 

13 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact14 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 

15 the Congress a report concerning the implementation of 

16 section 102 of the Human Rights, Refugee, and Other 

17 Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996. The report shall 

18 include information concerning the number of grants to 

19 conduct exchange programs to countries described in such 

20 section that have been submitted for competitive bidding, 

21 what measures have been taken to ensure that willingness 

22 to include supporters of freedom and democracy in such 

23 programs is given appropriate weight in the selection of 

24 grantees, and an evaluation of whether United States ex25 change programs in the countries described in such section 

26 are fully open to supporters of freedom and democracy, 


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1 and, if not, what obstacles remain and what measures are 

2 being taken to implement such policy. 

3 SEC. 204. FULBRIGHT-HAYS AUTHORITIES. 

4 Section 112(d) of the Mutual Educational and Cul5 tural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2460) is amended 

6 by striking ‘‘operating under the authority of this Act and 

7 consistent with’’ and inserting ‘‘which operate under the 

8 authority of this Act or promote’’. 

9 SEC. 205. SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS. 

11 In addition to such amounts as are otherwise author12 ized to be appropriated, for each of the fiscal years 2002 

13 and 2003 there are authorized to be appropriated 

14 $35,000,000 for educational and cultural exchange pro15 grams of the Department of State.

16 TITLE III—REORGANIZATION OF 

17 UNITED STATES INTER18 NATIONAL BROADCASTING 

19 SEC. 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES INTER20 NATIONAL BROADCASTING AGENCY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 304 of the United States 

22 International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6203) 

23 is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 304. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES INTER2 NATIONAL BROADCASTING AGENCY. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established as an 

4 independent agency in the executive branch the United 

5 States International Broadcasting Agency (hereinafter in 

6 this Act referred to as the ‘Agency’). 

7 ‘‘(b) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE AGENCY.—

8 ‘‘(1) HEAD OF AGENCY.—The Agency shall be 

9 headed by the Board of Governors of the United 

10 States International Broadcasting Agency (herein11 after in this Act referred to as the ‘Board of Gov12 ernors’). 

13 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS.—The 

14 Board of Goverors shall—

15 ‘‘(A) carry out the authorities and func16 tions of the Agency under section 305; and 

17 ‘‘(B) be responsible for the exercise of all 

18 authorities and powers and the discharge of all 

19 duties and functions of the Agency. 

20 ‘‘(3) COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF GOV21 ERNORS.—

22 ‘‘(A) The Board of Governors shall consist 

23 of 9 members, as follows: 

24 ‘‘(i) Eight voting members who shall 

25 be appointed by the President, by and with 

26 the advice and consent of the Senate. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary of State who shall 

2 also be a voting member. 

3 ‘‘(B) The President shall appoint one 

4 member (other than the Secretary of State) as 

5 Chair of the Board of Governors, subject to the 

6 advice and consent of the Senate. 

7 ‘‘(C) Exclusive of the Secretary of State, 

8 not more than 4 of the members of the Board 

9 of Governors appointed by the President shall 

10 be of the same political party. 

11 ‘‘(4) TERM OF OFFICE.—The term of office of 

12 each member of the Board of Governors shall be 

13 three years, except that the Secretary of State shall 

14 remain a member of the Board of Governors during 

15 the Secretary’s term of service. The President shall 

16 appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the 

17 Senate, board members to fill vacancies occurring 

18 prior to the expiration of a term, in which case the 

19 members so appointed shall serve for the remainder 

20 of such term. Any member whose term has expired 

21 may serve until a successor has been appointed and 

22 qualified. When there is no Secretary of State, the 

23 Acting Secretary of State shall serve as a member 

24 of the board until a Secretary is appointed. 


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1 ‘‘(5) SELECTION OF BOARD OF GOVERNORS.—

2 Members of the Board of Governors appointed by 

3 the President shall be citizens of the United States 

4 who are not regular full-time employees of the 

5 United States Government. Such members shall be 

6 selected by the President from among Americans 

7 distinguished in the fields of mass communications, 

8 print, broadcast media, or foreign affairs. 

9 ‘‘(6) COMPENSATION.—Members of the Board 

10 of Governors, while attending meetings of the board 

11 or while engaged in duties relating to such meetings 

12 or in other activities of the board pursuant to this 

13 section (including travel time) shall be entitled to re14 ceive compensation equal to the daily equivalent of 

15 the compensation prescribed for level IV of the Ex16 ecutive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 

17 United States Code. While away from their homes or 

18 regular places of business, members of the board 

19 may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem 

20 in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for per21 sons in the Government service employed intermit22 tently. The Secretary of State shall not be entitled 

23 to any compensation under this title, but may be al24 lowed travel expenses as provided under this sub25 section. 


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1 ‘‘(7) DECISIONS.—Decisions of the Board of 

2 Governors shall be made by majority vote, a quorum 

3 being present. A quorum shall consist of 5 members. 

4 ‘‘(8) IMMUNITY FROM CIVIL LIABILITY.—Not5 withstanding any other provision of law, any and all 

6 limitations on liability that apply to the members of 

7 the Board of Governors also shall apply to such 

8 members when acting in their capacities as members 

9 of the boards of directors of RFE/RL, Incorporated 

10 and Radio Free Asia.’’. 

11 ‘‘(c) DIRECTOR.—

12 ‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.—The Board of Governors 

13 shall appoint a Director of the Agency. The Director 

14 shall receive basic pay at the rate payable for level 

15 IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of 

16 title 5, United States Code. The Director may be re17 moved through a majority vote of the Board. 

18 ‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES.—The Director 

19 shall have the following functions and duties: 

20 ‘‘(A) To exercise the authorities delegated 

21 by the Board of Governors pursuant to section 

22 305(b). 

23 ‘‘(B) To carry out all broadcasting activi24 ties conducted pursuant to this title, the Radio 


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1 Broadcasting to Cuba Act, and the Television 

2 Broadcasting to Cuba Act. 

3 ‘‘(C) To examine and make recommenda4 tions to the Board of Governors on long-term 

5 strategies for the future of international broad6 casting, including the use of new technologies. 

7 ‘‘(D) To review engineering activities to 

8 ensure that all broadcasting elements receive 

9 the highest quality and cost-effective delivery 

10 services. 

11 ‘‘(E) To procure supplies, services, and 

12 other personal property to carry out the func13 tions of the Agency. 

14 ‘‘(F) To obligate and expend, for official 

15 reception and representation expenses, such 

16 amounts as may be made available through ap17 propriations. 

18 ‘‘(G) To provide for the use of United 

19 States Government transmitter capacity for 

20 relay of broadcasting by grantees. 

21 ‘‘(H) To procure temporary and intermit22 tent personal services to the same extent as is 

23 authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United 

24 States Code, at rates not to exceed the daily 

25 equivalent of the rate provided for positions 


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1 classified above grade GS–15 of the General 

2 Schedule under section 5108 of title 5, United 

3 States Code. 

4 ‘‘(I) To procure for the Agency, pursuant 

5 to section 1535 of title 31, United States Code 

6 goods and services from other departments or 

7 agencies. 

8 ‘‘(J) To the extent funds are available, to 

9 lease space and acquire personal property for 

10 the Agency. 

11 ‘‘(d) INSPECTOR GENERAL AUTHORITIES.—

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of 

13 the Department of State shall exercise the same au14 thorities with respect to the Agency as the Inspector 

15 General exercises under the Inspector General Act of 

16 1978 and section 209 of the Foreign Service Act of 

17 1980 with respect to the Department of State. 

18 ‘‘(2) RESPECT FOR JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY

19 OF BROADCASTERS.—The Inspector General of the 

20 Department of State and the Foreign Service shall 

21 respect the journalistic integrity of all the broad22 casters covered by this title and may not evaluate 

23 the philosophical or political perspectives reflected in 

24 the content of broadcasts.’’. 


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1 (b) RETENTION OF EXISTING BOARD MEMBERS.—

2 The members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors ap3 pointed by the President pursuant to section 304 of the 

4 United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 on 

5 the day before the effective date of this title and holding 

6 office as of that date may serve the remainder of their 

7 terms of office as members of the Board of Governors es8 tablished under subsection (b) without reappointment, or 

9 if their term has expired may serve until a successor is 

10 appointed and qualified. 

11 SEC. 302. AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE AGENCY. 

12 Section 305 of the United States International 

13 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6204) is amended 

14 to read as follows:

15 ‘‘SEC. 305. AUTHORITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE AGENCY. 

16 ‘‘(a) The Agency shall have the following authorities 

17 and functions: 

18 ‘‘(1) To supervise all broadcasting activities 

19 conducted pursuant to this title, the Radio Broad20 casting to Cuba Act, and the Television Broad21 casting to Cuba Act. 

22 ‘‘(2) To review and evaluate the mission and 

23 operation of, and to assess the quality, effectiveness, 

24 and professional integrity of, all such activities with25 in the context of the broad foreign policy objectives 


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1 of the United States and the guiding principles and 

2 doctrines of the United States, particularly freedom 

3 and democracy. 

4 ‘‘(3) To ensure that United States international 

5 broadcasting is conducted in accordance with the 

6 standards and principles contained in section 303. 

7 ‘‘(4) To review, evaluate, and determine, at 

8 least annually, after consultation with the Secretary 

9 of State, the addition or deletion of language serv10 ices. 

11 ‘‘(5) To make and supervise grants for broad12 casting and related activities in accordance with sec13 tions 308 and 309. 

14 ‘‘(6) To allocate funds appropriated for inter15 national broadcasting activities among the various 

16 elements of the Agency and grantees, subject to the 

17 limitations in sections 308 and 309 and subject to 

18 reprogramming notification requirements in law for 

19 the reallocation of funds. 

20 ‘‘(7) To undertake such studies as may be nec21 essary to identify areas in which broadcasting activi22 ties under its authority could be made more efficient 

23 and economical. 

24 ‘‘(8) To submit to the President and the Con25 gress an annual report which summarizes and evaluVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00104 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 ates activities under this title, the Radio Broad2 casting to Cuba Act, and the Television Broad3 casting to Cuba Act, placing special emphasis on the 

4 assessment described in paragraph (2). 

5 ‘‘(9) To make available in the annual report re6 quired by paragraph (8) information on funds ex7 pended on administrative and managerial services by 

8 the Agency and by grantees and the steps the Agen9 cy has taken to reduce unnecessary overhead costs 

10 for each of the broadcasting services. 

11 ‘‘(10) To utilize the provisions of titles III, IV, 

12 V, VII, VIII, IX, and X of the United States Infor13 mation and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, and 

14 section 6 of Reorganization Plan Number 2 of 1977, 

15 as in effect on the day before the effective date of 

16 title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Agencies Consolida17 tion Act of 1998, to the extent the Director con18 siders necessary in carrying out the provisions and 

19 purposes of this title. 

20 ‘‘(11) To utilize the authorities of any other 

21 statute, reorganization plan, Executive order, regula22 tion, agreement, determination, or other official doc23 ument or proceeding that had been available to the 

24 Director of the United States Information Agency, 

25 the Bureau, or the Board before the effective date 


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1 of title XIII of the Foreign Affairs Consolidation Act 

2 of 1998 for carrying out the broadcasting activities 

3 covered by this title. 

4 ‘‘(b) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—The Board of 

5 Governors may delegate to the Director of the Agency, or 

6 any other officer or employee of the United States, the 

7 authorities provided in this section, except those authori8 ties provided in paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), or 

9 (8) of subsection (a). 

10 ‘‘(c) BROADCASTING BUDGETS.—Director and the 

11 grantees identified in sections 308 and 309 shall submit 

12 proposed budgets to the Board. The Board shall forward 

13 its recommendations concerning the proposed budget for 

14 the Board and broadcasting activities under this title, the 

15 Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act, and the Television 

16 Broadcasting to Cuba Act to the Office of Management 

17 and Budget.’’. 

18 SEC. 303. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

19 Section 306 of the United States International 

20 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6205) is amended 

21 to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 306. ROLE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE. 

23 ‘‘To assist the Agency in carrying out its functions, 

24 the Secretary of State shall provide such information and 


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1 guidance on foreign policy and public diplomacy issues to 

2 the Agency as the Secretary considers appropriate.’’. 

3 SEC. 304. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

4 The United States International Broadcasting Act of 

5 1994 is amended by striking section 307 and inserting the 

6 following new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 307. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.—The Board of 

9 Governors may appoint and fix the compensation of such 

10 officers and employees as may be necessary to carry out 

11 the functions of the Agency. Except as otherwise provided 

12 by law, such officers and employees shall be appointed in 

13 accordance with the civil service laws and their compensa14 tion shall be fixed in accordance with title 5, United States 

15 Code. 

16 ‘‘(b) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Board of 

17 Governors, as may be provided in appropriation Acts, may 

18 obtain the services of experts and consultants in accord19 ance with section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, and 

20 may compensate such experts and consultants at rates not 

21 to exceed the daily rate prescribed for level IV of the Exec22 utive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 

23 Code. 

24 ‘‘(c) ACCEPTANCE OF VOLUNTARY SERVICES.—


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 

2 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Board of 

3 Governors may accept, subject to regulations issued 

4 by the Office of Personnel Management, voluntary 

5 services if such services—

6 ‘‘(A) are to be uncompensated; and 

7 ‘‘(B) are not used to displace any em8 ployee. 

9 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—Any individual who pro10 vides voluntary services under this section shall not 

11 be considered a Federal employee for any purpose 

12 other than for purposes of chapter 81 of title 5, 

13 United States Code (relating to compensation for in14 jury) and sections 2671 through 2680 of title 28, 

15 United States Code (relating to tort claims). 

16 ‘‘(d) DELEGATION.—Except as otherwise provided in 

17 this Act, the Board of Governors may delegate any func18 tion to the Director and such other officers and employees 

19 of the Agency as the Board of Governors may designate, 

20 and may authorize such successive redelegations of such 

21 functions within the Agency as may be necessary or appro22 priate. 

23 ‘‘(e) CONTRACTS.—

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the Federal 

25 Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 


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1 and other applicable Federal law, the Board of Gov2 ernors may make, enter into, and perform such con3 tracts, grants, leases, cooperative agreements, and 

4 other similar transactions with Federal or other pub5 lic agencies (including State and local governments) 

6 and private organizations and persons, and to make 

7 such payments, by way of advance or reimburse8 ment, as the Board of Governors may determine 

9 necessary or appropriate to carry out functions of 

10 the Board of Governors or the Agency. 

11 ‘‘(2) APPROPRIATION AUTHORITY REQUIRED.—

12 No authority to enter into contracts or to make pay13 ments under this title shall be effective except to 

14 such extent or in such amounts as are provided in 

15 advance under appropriation Acts. 

16 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Director may prescribe 

17 such rules and regulations as the Board of Governors con18 siders necessary or appropriate to administer and manage 

19 the functions of the Agency, in accordance with chapter 

20 5 of title 5, United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(g) SEAL.—The Director shall cause a seal of office 

22 to be made for the Agency of such design as the Board 

23 of Governors shall approve. Judicial notice shall be taken 

24 of such seal.’’. 


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1 SEC. 305. BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND 

2 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING BUREAU. 

3 The Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Inter4 national Broadcasting Bureau are abolished. 

5 SEC. 306. TRANSITION. 

6 (a) TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.—Except as otherwise 

7 provided in this title or an amendment made by this title, 

8 all functions that on the day before the effective date spec9 ified in section 311 are authorized to be performed by the 

10 Broadcasting Board of Governors and the International 

11 Broadcasting Bureau and any officer, employee, or compo12 nent of such entities, under any statute, reorganization 

13 plan, Executive order, or other provision of law, are trans14 ferred to the Agency established under this title effective 

15 on that date. 

16 (b) DETERMINATION OF CERTAIN FUNCTIONS.—If 

17 necessary, the Office of Management and Budget shall 

18 make any determination of the functions that are trans19 ferred under this title. 

20 (c) TRANSITION PROVISIONS.—

21 (1) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES.—Except as 

22 otherwise provided by law, the Board of Governors 

23 may, for purposes of performing a function that is 

24 transferred to the Agency by this title, exercise all 

25 authorities under any other provision of law that 

26 were available with respect to the performance of 


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H.L.C.

1 that function to the official responsible for the per2 formance of that function on the day before the ef3 fective date specified in section 310. 

4 (2) AUTHORITIES TO WIND UP AFFAIRS.—

5 (A) The Director of the Office of Manage6 ment and Budget may take such actions as the 

7 Director of the Office of Management and 

8 Budget considers necessary to wind up any out9 standing affairs of the Broadcasting Board of 

10 Governors and the International Broadcasting 

11 Bureau associated with the functions that are 

12 transferred pursuant to subsection (a). 

13 (B) The Director of the Office of Manage14 ment and Budget may take such actions as the 

15 Director of the Office of Management and 

16 Budget considers necessary to wind up any out17 standing affairs of the Broadcasting Board of 

18 Governors and the International Broadcasting 

19 Bureau associated with the functions that are 

20 transferred pursuant to subsection (a). 

21 (3) TRANSFER OF ASSETS.—Any property, 

22 records, unexpended balances of appropriations, allo23 cations, and other funds employed, used, held, avail24 able, or to be made available in connection with a 

25 function transferred to the Agency by this Act are 


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H.L.C.

1 transferred on the effective date specified in section 

2 310. 

3 SEC. 307. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

4 (a) UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL BROAD5 CASTING ACT OF 1994.—The United States International 

6 Broadcasting Act of 1994 is amended as follows: 

7 (1) Section 308 (22 U.S.C. 6207) is amended—

8 (A) in subsection (a)—

9 (i) by striking ‘‘The Board’’ and in10 serting ‘‘The Agency’’; and 

11 (ii) in paragraph (1) by striking 

12 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘Board Governors of the Inter14 national Broadcasting Agency’’; 

15 (B) in subsection (b)—

16 (i) by striking paragraph (2); 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘(1)’’; and 

18 (iii) by striking ‘‘Board’’ both places 

19 it appears and inserting ‘‘Agency’’; 

20 (C) in subsections (c), (d), (g), (h), and (i) 

21 by striking ‘‘Board’’ each place it appears and 

22 inserting ‘‘Agency’’; 

23 (D) in subsection (g)(4) by striking ‘‘Inter24 national Broadcasting Bureau’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘Agency’’; and 


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H.L.C.

1 (E) in subsections (i) and (j) by striking 

2 ‘‘and the Foreign Service’’ each place it ap3 pears. 

4 (2) Section 309 (22 U.S.C. 6208) is amended—

5 (A) in subsection (c)(1) by striking 

6 ‘‘Board’’ both places it appears and inserting 

7 ‘‘Agency’’; 

8 (B) by striking subsection (e); 

9 (C) in subsections (f) and (g) by striking 

10 ‘‘Board’’ each place it appears and inserting 

11 ‘‘Agency’’; and 

12 (D) in subsection (g) by striking ‘‘Chair13 man of the Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’. 

14 (3) By striking section 311 (22 U.S.C. 6210). 

15 (4) In section 313 (22 U.S.C. 6212) by striking 

16 ‘‘Board’’ and inserting ‘‘Agency’’. 

17 (5) In section 314 (22 U.S.C. 6213) by striking 

18 paragraph (2). 

19 (6) By striking section 315. 

20 (b) CUBAN LIBERTY AND DEMOCRATIC SOLIDARITY

21 (LIBERTAD) ACT OF 1996.—Section 107 of the Cuban 

22 Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 

23 1996 (22 U.S.C. 6037) is amended in subsections (a) and 

24 (b) by striking ‘‘International Broadcasting Bureau’’ each 


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H.L.C.

1 place it appears and inserting ‘‘United States Inter2 national Broadcasting Agency’’. 

3 (c) RADIO BROADCASTING TO CUBA ACT.—The 

4 Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465 et seq.) 

5 is amended as follows: 

6 (1) In section 3 (22 U.S.C. 1465a) as follows: 

7 (A) In the section heading by striking 

8 ‘‘BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOV9 ERNORS’’ and inserting ‘‘UNITED STATES 

10 INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 

11 AGENCY’’. 

12 (B) In subsection (a) by striking ‘‘the 

13 ‘Board’)’’ and inserting ‘‘the ‘Agency’)’’. 

14 (C) In subsections (a), (d), and (f) by 

15 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘United States International 

17 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

18 (3) In section 4 (22 U.S.C. 1465b) as follows: 

19 (A) In the first sentence by striking ‘‘The’’ 

20 and all that follows through ‘‘Bureau’’ and in21 serting: ‘‘The Board of Governors of the United 

22 States International Broadcasting Agency shall 

23 establish within the Agency’’. 

24 (B) In the third sentence by striking 

25 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and insertVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00114 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

1 ing ‘‘Board of Governors of the United States 

2 International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

3 (C) In the fourth sentence by striking 

4 ‘‘Board of the International Broadcasting Bu5 reau’’ and inserting ‘‘Board of Governors of the 

6 United States International Broadcasting Agen7 cy’’. 

8 (4) In section 5 (22 U.S.C. 1465c) as follows: 

9 (A) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Broad10 casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘Board of Governors of the United States 

12 International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

13 (B) By striking ‘‘Board’’ each place it ap14 pears and inserting ‘‘Advisory Board’’. 

15 (5) In section 6 (22 U.S.C. 1465d) as follows: 

16 (A) In subsection (a) by striking ‘‘Broad17 casting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

19 Agency’’ and by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘Board of Directors of the United States Inter21 national Broadcasting Agency’’. 

22 (B) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Board’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘United States International 

24 Broadcasting Agency’’. 


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H.L.C.

1 (6) In section 7 (22 U.S.C. 1465e) by striking 

2 ‘‘Board’’ in subsections (b) and (d) and inserting 

3 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

4 (7) In section 8(a) (22 U.S.C. 1465f(a)), by 

5 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and in6 serting ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

7 Agency’’. 

8 (d) TELEVISION BROADCASTING TO CUBA ACT.—

9 The Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 

10 1465aa note) is amended as follows: 

11 (1) Section 243(a) (22 U.S.C. 1465bb) is 

12 amended by striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Gov13 ernors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States International 

14 Broadcasting Agency’’. 

15 (2) Section 244 (22 U.S.C. 1465cc) is amended 

16 as follows: 

17 (A) In subsection (a) by amending the 

18 third sentence to read as follows: ‘‘The Board 

19 of Governors of the United States International 

20 Broadcasting Agency shall appoint a head of 

21 the Service who shall report directly to the 

22 Board of Governors.’’. 

23 (B) In subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Board’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘United States International 

25 Broadcasting Agency’’. 


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H.L.C.

1 (C) In subsection (c) by striking ‘‘The 

2 Board’’ and inserting ‘‘The Agency’’ and by 

3 striking ‘‘Board determines’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘Board of Governors of the United States 

5 International Broadcasting Agency deter6 mines’’. 

7 (3) In section 246 (22 U.S.C. 1465dd) by strik8 ing ‘‘United States Information Agency’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

10 Agency’’ and by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘Board of Governors of the United States Inter12 national Broadcasting Agency’’. 

13 (e) UNITED STATES INFORMATION AND EDU14 CATIONAL EXCHANGE ACT OF 1948.—The United States 

15 Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 

16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) is amended—

17 (1) in section 505 (22 U.S.C. 1464a), by strik18 ing ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ each place 

19 it appears and inserting ‘‘United States Inter20 national Broadcasting Agency’’; and 

21 (2) in section 506(c) (22 U.S.C. 1464b(c))—

22 (A) by striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of 

23 Governors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States Inter24 national Broadcasting Agency’’; and 


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H.L.C.

1 (B) by striking ‘‘Board’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘Agency’’. 

3 (e) FOREIGN SERVICE ACT OF 1980.—The Foreign 

4 Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.) is amend5 ed—

6 (1) in section 202(a)(1) (22 U.S.C. 

7 3922(a)(1)), by striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of 

8 Governors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States Inter9 national Broadcasting Agency’’; 

10 (2) in section 210 (22 U.S.C. 3930), by striking 

11 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting Agency’’; 

13 (3) in section 1003(a) (22 U.S.C. 4103(a)), by 

14 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and in15 serting ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

16 Agency’’; and 

17 (4) in section 1101(c) (22 U.S.C. 4131(c)), by 

18 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors,’’ and in19 serting ‘‘the United States International Broad20 casting Agency,’’. 

21 (f) STATE DEPARTMENT BASIC AUTHORITIES ACT

22 OF 1956.—The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 

23 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended—

24 (1) in section 23(a) (22 U.S.C. 2695(a)), by 

25 striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors,’’ and inVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

1 serting ‘‘United States International Broadcasting 

2 Agency,’’; 

3 (2) in section 25(f) (22 U.S.C. 2697(f)—

4 (A) by striking ‘‘Broadcasting Board of 

5 Governors’’ and inserting ‘‘United States Inter6 national Broadcasting Agency’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘the Board and the Agen8 cy’’ and inserting ‘‘their respective agencies’’; 

9 (3) in section 26(b) (22 U.S.C. 2698(b))—

10 (A) by striking ‘Broadcasting Board of 

11 Governors,’’ and inserting ‘‘United States Inter12 national Broadcasting Agency’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘the Board and the Agen14 cy’’ and inserting ‘‘their respective agencies’’; 

15 and 

16 (4) in section 32 (22 U.S.C. 2704), by striking 

17 ‘‘Broadcasting Board of Governors’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘United States International Broadcasting Agency’’. 

19 (g) TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE.—Section 5315 

20 of title 5, United States Code, is amended—

21 (1) by striking ‘‘Director, International Broad22 casting Bureau.’’. 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Direc24 tor, United States International Broadcasting Agen25 cy.’’. 


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H.L.C.

1 SEC. 308. REFERENCES. 

2 Except as otherwise provided in this title or an 

3 amendment made by this title, any reference in any stat4 ute, reorganization plan, Executive order, regulation, 

5 agreement, determination, or other official document or 

6 proceeding to the Broadcasting Board of Governors and 

7 the International Broadcasting Bureau or any other offi8 cer or employee of the Broadcasting Board of Governors 

9 or the International Broadcasting Bureau shall be deemed 

10 to refer to the United States International Broadcasting 

11 Agency or the Board of Governors of the United States 

12 International Broadcasting Agency established under this 

13 title. 

14 SEC. 309. BROADCASTING STANDARDS. 

15 Section 303(a) of the United States International 

16 Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6202(a)) is amend17 ed—

18 (1) in paragraph (6) by striking ‘‘and’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (7) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after 

20 the semicolon; 

21 (3) in paragraph (8) by striking the period and 

22 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (4) by adding after paragraph (8) the following 

24 new paragraph: 

25 ‘‘(9) seek to ensure that resources are allocated 

26 to broadcasts directed at people whose governments 


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H.L.C.

1 deny freedom of expression or who are otherwise in 

2 special need of honest and professional broadcasting, 

3 commensurate with the need for such broadcasts.’’. 

4 SEC. 310. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

5 Except as otherwise provided, this title and the 

6 amendments made by this title shall take effect on the 

7 last day of the 6-month period beginning on the date of 

8 the enactment of this Act.


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Chairman HYDE. I now recognize Mr. Lantos. 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this 

amendment, and I publicly want to acknowledge our enormous debt 

to Congressman Berman for his extraordinary contributions in developing this legislation. 

And I would like to yield to him the balance of my time. 

Mr. BERMAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Lantos, and Chairman 

Hyde, as well, for your fine comments. I will be very quick. 

But I think the key in terms of title III is doing just what the 

Chairman said, trying to improve a structure to rationalize broadcasting operations because of its critical public importance by creating a new position of director accountable to the board, with responsibility for many of the day-to-day operations of the U.S. International Broadcasting Agency, which we create as an amalgam of 

all of our different features. 

So you have this new director, at the very same time you maintain a strong bipartisan board as a firewall to shield broadcasting 

from inappropriate political influence. The structure here is key to 

preserving journalistic integrity and the credibility of our broadcasts. 

As the Chairman mentioned earlier, there are still some provisions in other sections of the bill that the State Department has 

some concerns about, the Broadcasting Board of Governors have 

some concerns about, and I know the Chairman and all of us will 

remain open to dealing with this complicated question of the key 

national message that we want broadcasting to implement while at 

the same time maintaining the journalistic integrity and firewall 

that all of us thought was so important when we originally created 

the Broadcasting Board of Governors. 

These are really a wonderful group of people who devote far more 

time than I think citizen board members would ever devote to this 

process, and I do believe and hope that this reorganization will 

make their jobs easier because their mission is very important. 

Thank you, Mr. Lantos, for yielding me the time. 

Chairman HYDE. Are there any amendments? 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman from California. 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, 

and I ask unanimous consent that my amendment and the Schiff 

and Engel amendment be considered en bloc. 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, so ordered. Without objection, the amendment en bloc will be considered as read, and the 

gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes in support 

of his en bloc amendment. 

[The information referred to follows:]

119

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. LANTOS

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 13, after line 11, insert the following new section (and redesignate accordingly):

1 SEC. 107. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING PUBLIC DI2 PLOMACY EFFORTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRI3 CA. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 

5 findings: 

6 (1) A significant number of sub-Saharan Afri7 can countries have populations in which the propor8 tion of Muslims exceeds fifty percent, including such 

9 important friendly countries as Nigeria, Senegal, 

10 Djibouti, Mauritania, and Guinea. 

11 (2) In several of these countries, groups with 

12 links to militant religious organizations are active 

13 among the youth, primarily young men, promoting a 

14 philosophy and practice of intolerance and radical 

15 clerics are effectively mobilizing public sentiment 

16 against the United States. 

17 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 

18 Congress that the Secretary should include countries in 

19 sub-Saharan Africa with predominantly Muslim popuVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00123 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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H.L.C.

1 lations in the public diplomacy activities authorized by this 

2 Act and the amendments made by this Act.


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H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. SCHIFF

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 5, line 20, strike ‘‘In cooperation’’ and all that 

follows through line 3 on page 6, insert the following new 

subsection (and redesignate the subsequent subsection accordingly):

1 ‘‘(b) INFORMATION CONCERNING UNITED STATES

2 ASSISTANCE.—

3 ‘‘(1) IDENTIFICATION OF ASSISTANCE.—In co4 operation with the Agency for International Develop5 ment (AID) and other public and private assistance 

6 organizations and agencies, the Secretary shall en7 sure that information concerning foreign assistance 

8 provided by the United States Government, United 

9 States nongovernmental organizations and private 

10 entities, and the American people is disseminated 

11 widely and prominently, particularly, to the extent 

12 practicable, within countries and regions that receive 

13 such assistance. The Secretary shall ensure that, to 

14 the extent practicable, projects funded by the Agen15 cy for International Development (AID) that do not 

16 involve commodities, including projects implemented 

17 by private voluntary organizations, are identified as 


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H.L.C.

1 being supported by the United States of America, as 

2 American Aid or provided by the American people. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

4 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Sec5 retary shall submit a report to the Committee on 

6 International Relations of the House of Representa7 tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

8 Senate on efforts to disseminate information con9 cerning assistance described in paragraph (1) during 

10 the preceding fiscal year. Each such report shall in11 clude specific information concerning all instances in 

12 which the Agency for International Development has 

13 not identified projects in the manner prescribed in 

14 paragraph (1) because such indentification was not 

15 practicable. Any such report shall be submitted in 

16 unclassified form, but may include a classified ap17 pendix.


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H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. ENGEL

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 20, after line 15, insert the following new section:

1 SEC. 206. SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA2 TIONS FOR THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR 

3 DEMOCRACY. 

4 In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be ap5 propriated for the fiscal years 2002 and 2003, there are 

6 authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the fiscal 

7 year 2002 and $10,000,000 for the fiscal year 2003 for 

8 the National Endowment for Democracy to fund programs 

9 that promote democracy, good governance, the rule of law, 

10 independent media, religious tolerance, the rights of 

11 women, and strengthening of civil society in countries of 

12 predominantly Muslim population within the jurisdiction 

13 of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the Department 

14 of State.


78949g.AAB
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Mr. LANTOS. I will not take the whole amount of time, Mr. Chairman. 

These are fairly straightforward amendments, and I believe they 

are acceptable on both sides. Our amendment clarifies that the 

public diplomacy programs authorized by this act should be conducted in a number of countries in Africa, including some friendly 

countries such as Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea that have predominantly Muslim populations. 

In several of those countries groups linked to militant Muslim organizations promote a philosophy of intolerance. Radical clerics are 

mobilizing public sentiment against the United States and we must 

counteract that. 

The second amendment is an important amendment from our colleague from California, Mr. Schiff. His amendment highlights a potentially powerful tool in our public diplomacy campaign, foreign 

assistance. 

In our generosity and in our self-interest the United States provides more foreign assistance than any other nation. Broadcasting 

this fact abroad will help in building support for U.S. foreign policies. Mr. Schiff’s amendment directs the secretary to take advantage of this enormous untapped resource, and I commend our colleague, Mr. Schiff, for this critical amendment. 

Finally, Mr. Chairman, the Engel amendment would authorize 

$5 million for programs to carry out rule of law, democracy and 

good government programs in the Middle East and in North Africa. 

We are all familiar with the excellent work that is being done 

throughout the world in this area by United States organizations, 

and bringing their enormous talents to bear to promote democracy 

in the Middle East is a very good proposal. I urge all of my colleagues to support the en bloc amendment. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Gilman. 

Mr. GILMAN. I want to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to 

thank the gentleman from New York, Mr. Engel, for taking the initiative in offering an amendment for our consideration relating to 

the ongoing congressional concerns about incitement, anti-American and anti-Semitic propaganda. 

Just a few days ago, our Middle East Subcommittee took testimony from three experts about this pervasive cancer in our midst. 

Mr. Engel’s amendment is a step in the right direction as an attempt to promote democracy and good governance throughout the 

Arab world. 

Accordingly, Mr. Chairman, this amendment has my strong support, and I urge our colleagues to adopt this amendment. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Houghton. 

Mr. HOUGHTON. I agree with Mr. Gilman. I agree with everything that has been said so far. I have just one comment. 

I have a sense we are on the edge of a precedence here, and I 

wonder if this goes far enough. I mean, we are not spending a lot 

of money compared to the extraordinary costs to advertise our 

cause under these provisions, and I hope this will not be the last 

of such provisions. 

125

I really think that we ought to take, as a Committee, an entirely 

fresh look at this. Thank you. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank you. 

Mr. Bereuter. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I strike the last word to ask the question. Mr. Engel, since his 

amendment is covered as a part of the unanimous consent that he 

consider these three en bloc. 

Mr. Engel, on lines 13 and 14, you restrict the assistance you are 

giving to those Muslim countries in the jurisdiction of a particular 

bureau of the Department of State—the Bureau of Middle Eastern 

Affairs. 

I am wondering if you are limiting those provisions more than 

you might, particularly in light of the sense of the Congress resolution offered by Mr. Lantos, which includes certain Muslim nations 

in sub-Saharan Africa that are not a part of the Near Eastern bureau. And if so, if we can discuss and solve that problem right now. 

Mr. ENGEL. If the gentleman would yield. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I would yield to the gentleman. 

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you. 

Certainly would be open to your suggestion. The reason that the 

language reads the way it does is because, while we promote democracy in other places of the world, we have found that in the 

Middle East, which probably needs the most promotion of democracy, we have not done that. So the language that was put in was 

specifically designed to deal with the problem in the Middle East. 

But I would certainly be open to work with the gentleman in 

other areas as well. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Go ahead. 

Mr. ENGEL. No, no. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I will recover my time then for another question. 

Understanding that you may not wish to extend these limited resources to South Asia and Southeast Asia Muslim countries, how 

would the gentleman feel if we simply enlarged it to say Muslim 

states in Africa? 

Mr. ENGEL. If the gentleman would yield. 

My only reluctance would be that we are not really appropriating 

a tremendous amount of money, and that given the limited resources, I think that it probably would be best to focus in in the 

Middle East. 

For instance, monies to promote democracy from NEW essentially have gone to lots of different stages, Albania, which as the 

gentleman knows, I chaired the Albanian Issues Caucus, and have 

been pushing very hard for help. Albania is a predominantly Muslim country, and so there is no desire to exclude anybody. But I 

think with the limited amount that we are appropriating here, I 

would prefer to keep it within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of 

Near Eastern Affairs of the Department of State, which would involve the Middle East. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I understand your response. 

I would ask the Chairman and the Ranking Democrat Member 

if they have a view on this, and if they have a view that Mr. EngVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00129 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL
126

el’s authorization amounts could perhaps be enlarged, I will not 

persist in this question. However, if it is something that the Chairman and the Ranking Member feel we could do, I could imagine 

these countries could certainly benefit from it, too. 

If either gentlemen cares to be yielded to, I would do so. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentlemen—— Mr. BEREUTER. I yield to the Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank you. I would tell the gentleman that the 

theme of this bill is the Islamic world, and we have to be careful 

about spreading its reach beyond that. I think what Mr. Houghton 

said earlier is certainly true—more resources must be allocated. 

But we would prefer keeping the reach of this bill to the Islamic 

world, where it is most needed. 

We can certainly not consider the problem you mention as solved, 

and that is something that we should undertake to look at. But, 

I would prefer getting this off the ground first. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I thank the Chairman. 

I did, of course, restrict it to Muslim countries within Africa, but 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman HYDE. Well, I thank the gentleman. 

Ms. Watson. 

Ms. WATSON. Yes. I have some language that I would like to submit that I think might address exactly what the author and the 

Chair might want to do. 

If you will look at lines 11, 12, would the language that says—— Chairman HYDE. Of the amendment by Mr. Lantos? 

Ms. WATSON. The amendment by Mr. Engel. 

Chairman HYDE. Oh. 

Ms. WATSON. On the Engel amendment. 

Chairman HYDE. All right. 

Ms. WATSON. ‘‘. . . in countries to be determined that have predominantly Muslim populations.’’ That would allow you the 

leadway to look in other areas too if it is determined that there is 

another hot spot that needs to be addressed with this same authority. So if you put a period at the end of ‘‘population,’’ I think you 

would have some leeway to decide where you need to invest your 

activities at this point. 

The amendment would read, ‘‘. . . in countries to be determined 

that have predominantly Muslim population.’’ Then you would delete down to line 14. 

Chairman HYDE. How does Mr. Engel feel about that? 

Mr. ENGEL. Well, I would have some questions—I would ask if 

Ms. Watson would yield—to be determined, first of all, by whom, 

and then my only concern would be—that would be one concern. 

And my other concern would be, the whole purpose of this was to 

specifically try to promote democracy in the Middle East, in countries that we have all been very acutely aware that really don’t 

have any kind of democracy. And I think that since we spend 

money all over the world with democracy promotion from the NED, 

to me, it was glaring that no monies were appropriated specifically 

in the Middle East, where all the problems are occurring. 

And so, again, my only concern would be, and I think Mr. Bereuter, to his credit, raised an important point, if there are going to 

be limited funds, I would prefer that those funds go to the Middle 

127

East. If, at some point, we can raise the five million dollars, then 

I wouldn’t have any objection. But, my big fear is, if we start watering down the very small amount, relatively five million dollars, 

we are not going to achieve the kinds of things that I was hoping 

to achieve with this amendment, which is to try to promote democracy in the Middle East. 

Chairman HYDE. If the gentlelady would yield. This is a problem 

that bares further discussion. We can talk about it and make 

changes, if we can agree on them, in the manager’s amendment. 

So, the gentlelady and Mr. Bereuter and Mr. Engel, we can all 

meet and further discuss—— Ms. WATSON. That is fine. 

Chairman HYDE [continuing]. To see if we can accomplish what 

you want without——

Ms. WATSON. That is fine. 

Chairman HYDE [continuing]. Violating the reach of the bill. 

All right. A question occurs on the amendments in block. All 

those in favor, say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. Oppose, nay. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. 

Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Chairman? 

Chairman HYDE. Are there further—— Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Chairman? 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Flake. 

Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk— actually, two amendments that I would like to offer en bloc. 

Chairman HYDE. The clerk will designate the amendments. 

Mr. RADEMAKER. Amendment offered by Mr. Flake, page 45, 

after line three——

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, further reading of the 

amendments is dispensed with. The amendments will be considered en bloc and the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes, in support thereof. 

[The information referred to follows:]

128

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. FLAKE AND MR. 

DELAHUNT

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 45, after line 3, insert the following new section (and redesignate the subsequent section accordingly):

1 SEC. 310. RADIO MARTI. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con3 gress that—

4 (1) Radio Marti’s 5 percent audience share 

5 must be improved; 

6 (2) Radio Marti’s low audience share may be 

7 due both to jamming and to program quality issues; 

8 and 

9 (3) an intensive independent assessment should 

10 be conducted to evaluate programming operations at 

11 Radio Marti. 

12 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Broad14 casting Board of Governors shall submit to the Congress 

15 a report which includes information concerning the fol16 lowing: 


78949h.AAB
129

2

H.L.C.

1 (1) What Radio Marti does to obtain inde2 pendent assessments of its program quality and 

3 journalistic integrity. 

4 (2) What Radio Marti does to obtain inde5 pendent assessments of Cuban listeners opinions of 

6 its programming. 

7 (3) What Radio Marti has done in the past to 

8 obtain the independent assessments described under 

9 paragraphs (1) and (2), the means employed cur10 rently by Radio Marti to obtain such independent 

11 assessments, and any plans to conduct independent 

12 assessments in the near future.


78949h.AAC
130

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. FLAKE AND MR. 

DELAHUNT

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 45, after line 3, insert the following new section (and redesignate the subsequent section accordingly):

1 SEC. 310. REPEAL OF TELEVISION BROADCASTING TO 

2 CUBA ACT. 

3 (a) REPEAL.—Effective September 30, 2002, the 

4 Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465aa 

5 et seq.) is repealed. 

6 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—

7 After September 30, 2002, any funds appropriated to TV 

8 Marti that remain available are authorized to be trans9 ferred and made available for Radio Marti.


78949i.AAB
131

Mr. FLAKE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your comments about this bill, in general, about our goals and our immediate needs, and long-term goals, in terms of public diplomacy. I 

feel that these amendments push toward that goal. 

Since 1984, U.S. taxpayers have spent $157 million on TV Marti 

and $249 million on Radio Marti, for a total of $406 million. It is 

time that we ask, it is long past time that we ask if we are getting 

our monies worth. I would submit that we are not. 

According to the Broadcasting Board of Governor’s report from 

August 2001, regular listening to Radio Marti declined for the first 

time since 1998. According to that BBG report, in surveys in 1998, 

1999, and 2000, unprompted weekly listenership to the station held 

steady at 9 percent of those interviewed, but had dropped to 5 percent in 2001. That is a 44 percent decline in just 1 year. 

This is a trend. We have had a downward shift in—or trend in 

listenership to Radio Marti over the past 10 years. In 1989, it was 

said the former head of the Radio Marti audience surveys, Christian Jeffers, said that there was a 95 percent listenership, 71 percent. Those were probably overstated. But, still, at 5 percent, it 

shows we have dropped a long ways. Something is obviously wrong. 

Unfortunately, when you compare Radio Marti to TV Marti, 

Radio Marti sounds like a big bargain. As we all know, no ordinary 

Cuban citizen watches TV Marti at all. TV Marti goes on the air 

at 3 or 3:30 a.m. every morning and signals off at 8 a.m. It operates that way, because their international broadcasting agreements 

enforce that. To ensure that not even Cuban insomniacs tune in, 

Fidel Castro jams the signal. So, nobody listens—or nobody watches TV Marti. They simply can’t. It is scrambled. Whether we like 

it or not, it is scrambled. It can’t be watched. It is an awful waste 

of U.S. taxpayer’s money, and I am not the only one that feels this 

way. 

In 1991, in a report issued by the President’s task force on U.S. 

government international broadcasting, they stated that TV Marti 

should be terminated. In 1994, the Chairman of the task force, 

John Hughes, stated that the views were the same as the 1991 report, which characterized the 1991 report as saying, it is pointless 

and wasteful to continue TV Marti’s operations. In 1993, the commission reiterated its statements from 1991. We have series of 

studies that have been done over and over again, saying get rid of 

TV Marti. It is a huge waste of money. 

I don’t know how anyone can say that we are furthering the 

goals that we have the public diplomacy department by sending up 

a signal that nobody can watch in the middle of the night, and 

there is no prospect of that changing. So, we have to ask ourselves, 

should we continue this or should we put that money to better use. 

Last month, I had the opportunity, along with my colleague Bill 

Delahunt, who is offering these amendments with me, to visit the 

offices of Radio and Television Marti, and it was striking to see 

what is going on there. We asked about the surveys, about 

listenership to Radio Marti. Of course, TV Marti, nobody pretends 

to defend. But Radio Marti, we asked how it has gone down to 5 

percent and what the methodology was to use—for those surveys, 

because they were claiming that they are up about 95 percent 

132

again. They had no idea or didn’t share with us what methodology 

was used. 

Here, what we are asking in the first amendment is for the 

Broadcasting Board of Governors to require that there be some 

kind of outside review. And we ask that there be some kind of acknowledgment that we have to survey outside opinion. 

The problem is, from my perspective, the content. When I visited 

Cuba last year, I asked several Cubans, many Cubans, if they listened to Radio Marti. The response was nearly the same with all 

of them. They said, we used to, but we don’t anymore, because it 

is not news anymore. It is just rhetoric. It is just anti-Castro drivel 

that we have heard before and there is no reason to listen to it. 

That is the consensus of opinion and I would like to submit two 

reports for the record. The Miami Herald did a great expose and 

so did the Miami New Times and, Mr. Chairman, I would like to 

submit those articles for the record. They all say the same thing, 

we are going the wrong direction there and we need some outside 

review. 

With that, Mr. Chairman, on the second amendment, what we 

would like to do is eliminate the funding for Television Marti and 

push it over to Radio Marti. Radio Marti can be very effective. It 

should be very effective, but it is not now. It is wasted and will continue to be wasted unless we do something there. 

So, these are, I believe, friendly amendments. And I yield back 

the balance of my time and hope my colleague, Mr. Delahunt, will 

speak to these, as well. 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, the articles the gentleman 

refers to will be included in the record. 

[The information referred to follows:]

Sun, Mar. 31, 2002

RADIO MARTI ́ BOSS CREATES LOTS OF STATIC

BY ELAINE DE VALLE

(EDEVALLE@HERALD.COM)

When veteran broadcaster Salvador Lew was tapped to take over the Office of 

Cuba Broadcasting, he pledged to revitalize Radio and TV Martı ́ with more relevant 

programming for Cubans on the island. 

More than seven months after his appointment, Lew has dramatically increased 

the amount of news broadcast, using more than 20 freelancers to write, edit, broadcast and produce a slew of new programs, including a call-in show for dissidents, 

a program on the Santerı ́a religion and a show hosted by former Cuban military 

officers. 

But staffers and observers say Lew has gone beyond a mere housecleaning typical 

of a new administration. They claim he has hired friends and associates to well-paid 

posts, including several with a hard-line view, and manipulated news coverage. 

‘‘He acts like a mayor in Cuba,’’ said Enrique Patterson, who has cohosted a political satire program for five years. ‘‘Anyone who is his friend has a job.’’

Four women have sued for sex discrimination, claiming a hostile work environment for women. The annual personnel budget has been nearly depleted to pay for 

the freelancers. A federally mandated nine-member advisory committee does not 

exist. 

Most recently, the station was accused of editing a sound bite to make it appear 

the Mexican government had opened its doors to Cubans wanting to leave the island. The broadcast was blamed for a gate-crashing incident at the Mexican Embassy in Havana by 21Cubans. 

The 73-year-old Lew, a longtime figure on Cuban Miami radio famed for breaking 

the story in 1962 that Soviet troops had arrived in Cuba, stands by the broadcast 

and dismisses the manipulation claims as typical Castro rhetoric. 

133

‘‘I would never permit that,’’ he said, adding that he would not jeopardize his 

credibility. 

He defends the choices he has made since taking over the $25-million-a-year operation. He recognizes that the changes, which he said have improved the station’s 

programming mix, have ruffled some feathers. 

‘‘There are some very professional journalists here . . . but we also have some 

people who are resistant to change,’’ makes $132,000 a year. ‘‘I’m not here to be popular.’’

NUMEROUS INQUIRIES

Controversy is not new to Radio Mart ́ı, which first aired on May 20, 1985, to provide an alternate source of news and information to the state-run media in Cuba. 

There have been more than two dozen investigations, audits, inquiries or policy reviews at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting in the past 15 years. But 10 staffers who 

spoke to The Herald, all but two on the condition that their names not be published, 

said things are different this time. 

‘‘Every time there is a new administration, there are problems, but this is a total 

revolution,’’ said one employee who has worked under three directors. 

Most complaints center on the hiring of the freelancers, many of them Lew’s 

friends and former associates. 

Zaida ‘‘Sashi’’ Alfaro hosts Ache ́, the Santer ́ıa show. For more than 10 years, she 

and Lew cohosted La Pen ̃ a Azul on La Cadena Azul, then later on La Poderosa. 

Olga Connor, a columnist at El Nuevo Herald who hosts an arts program on 

Radio Mart ́ı, is a friend. 

Nancy Pe ́rez Crespo, a director at La Nueva Cuba Press—a website that publishes 

dissident Cuban journalists—has known Lew for 15 years. 

‘LOT OF HIS PEOPLE’

Crespo, who also has a weekly program on Radio Mamb ́ı, hosts a half-hour callin show for dissidents on Radio Mart ́ı. 

‘‘He has brought in a lot of his people under contract to do the work of the employees,’’ said one of the employees who claims to have been demoted for complaining. 

Patterson said his salary was cut by $15 from $100 a show to $85, while some 

of the new freelancers are making more than four times as much. 

‘‘I don’t care about $15,’’ said Patterson, a Spanish teacher at Miami Northwestern High School. ‘‘I don’t make my living off this. But it’s the principle.’’

He and others said most of the new programs were rejected by the in-house advisory committee because they duplicated existing shows or were inappropriate for the 

station. 

‘‘Then he abolished the evaluation committee and did what he wanted anyway,’’

Patterson said. ‘‘This is a government office, not a private company.’’

DIRECTOR WAS MOVED

Lew said the advisory committee fell apart after he transferred the program director, who chaired the committee, to another department. The director, Martha Yedra, 

would not comment because she is one of the four women suing for sexual discrimination. 

Lew also admits having a personal relationship with many of the new hires but 

said there are others he still has not met. 

All of them, he insists, were tapped for their professional experience. 

‘‘It’s only logical that I know some of them. It’s logical that one contracts people 

you know that are good,’’ Lew said. ‘‘That’s something all bosses do—surround themselves with people you can trust to do the job.’’

He said the personnel budget is ‘‘practically he had to bring in more people to increase news from one to five hours a day and to add shows that speak to previously 

ignored sectors of the Cuban population—the military, youths, blacks, women. 

NO LOVE FOR CUBA

‘‘There are problems here with a lot of people who do not put their hearts into 

this office and the situation in Cuba,’’ Lew said. ‘‘They do their job as journalists, 

but there is no love for homeland.’’

Lew said the complaints come from employees upset about having to work weekends or disgruntled radio hosts whose programs were canceled to make room for 

more news. 

‘‘Our principal mission is to inform, not entertain,’’ he said. 

134

But Roberto Bermudez, who hosts a cultural show called El Gato Tuerto, said the 

issue is more about fairness than bruised egos. His show on Cuban literature, art 

and films was cut back from five to three times a week. ‘‘They said they had to cut everyone’s programs to save money,’’ he said. 

Eliminating two of his three freelancers, who made $50 a show, saved $100 a 

week. 

Then Radio Mart ́ı hired Connor of El Nuevo Herald to host a similar program 

twice a week—at $440 a show. ‘‘So they cut $100 from me to give $880 to someone else to do the very same thing. 

That is an injustice,’’ Bermudez said. 

Connor said her program replaced canned music aired on the weekends. 

‘‘I was asked to do this program because of my wide experience,’’ she said, ‘‘and 

also because I am in contact not only with the Cuban culture outside the island but 

also in the island.’’

HARD-LINER EXILES

Another issue causing controversy is that many of the new freelancers come from 

the ranks of the hard-line Cuban exile community. 

Lew has hired Santiago Aranegui, a longtime commentator on Radio Mamb ́ı, considered the voice of the diehard conservative Cuban community. 

In addition, Radio Mart ́ı also broadcasts the Tomen Nota editorial by Armando 

Perez Roura, news director of WAQI–AM (710), every Monday. 

Perez Roura is the dean of conservative Cuban radio. And Lew said La Pen ̃ a Mambisa, another Mamb ́ı show, is also rebroadcast to Cuba. 

The concern is magnified because other hard-liners are also becoming regulars. 

Luis Zun ̃iga and Horacio Garc ́ıa Sr., two former Cuban American National Foundation members who are now directors of the breakaway Cuban Liberty Council, 

host a weekly show titled The Voice of Truth. 

Said Lew: ‘‘They cannot talk about any organization that they belong to or had 

belonged to. They only talk about human rights in general, and Luis Zun ̃iga knows 

a lot about human rights because he has been to the commission in Geneva for 

years and years.’’ Last week, Fernando Rojas—another former CANF member now on the Cuban 

Liberty Council board—was hired as an advisor and assistant to Lew. ‘‘I have given him some projects to develop,’’ Lew said. 

BOARD POSSIBILITIES

Lew said another CANF defector, Feliciano Foyo, may get tapped by President 

Bush for a new advisory board. The other name mentioned from Miami’s Cuban 

community is Amancio Suarez, former owner of Radio Mamb ́ı. ‘‘This operation has been taken over by the ultra-right, hard-line exile community,’’ said one woman who has worked at Radio Mart ́ı for more than 10 years. ‘‘We can’t broadcast any news that presents a good image of Cuba or that hints at anything good that can happen there.’’ Some in Washington, where the proposed $26 million budget for next fiscal year 

will soon be discussed, are concerned. ‘‘More news is good, until you ask what kind of news it is,’’ said U.S. Rep. Jeff 

Flake, who visited the Office of Cuba Broadcasting last week with Rep. William 

Delahunt, D-Mass. Both men were in South Florida for an anti-embargo conference 

at the Biltmore Hotel. ‘‘Is it objective? Is it balanced?’’

SUPPORTS CONCEPT

Flake, one of 34 lawmakers who recently formed a task force to chip away at the 

U.S. embargo and travel restrictions, said he supports the concept of Radio Mart ́ı. 

But he and Delahunt are suspicious of changes that would give the hard-line exile 

community more airtime. 

‘‘If Radio Mart ́ı is working well, I just want to improve it,’’ Flake said. 

‘‘Unfortunately, what we’ve been hearing from the people I talked to in Cuba is 

that it’s not about news anymore. It’s all Fidel-bashing, and they’re not interested 

in that,’’ he said. 

Lew said Radio and TV Mart ́ı will always have enemies in Congress but the operation also has its staunch supporters. 

They say internal flaps are expected when a new administration takes over. 

‘‘There have always been attacks,’’ said U.S. Rep. Lincoln D ́ıaz-Balart, a champion 

of Radio and TV Mart ́ı funding who pushed for the appointment of Lew in July. 

‘‘Those who like to see a policy of appeasement with the Cuban dictator are constantly attacking Radio Mart ́ı.’’

135

D ́ıaz-Balart said Lew should be commended for the changes he has made. ‘‘Everything I’ve seen points to a dramatic improvement under his stewardship.’’

NEWS WELCOMED

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, principal officer at the U.S. Interests Section in 

Havana, said human rights activists, opposition leaders and dissident journalists on 

the island—who call Radio Mart ́ı ‘‘our station’’—are pleased with the increase in 

international news. 

What they want is more news from inside Cuba, such as Cuba’s $35 million grain 

purchase from U.S. suppliers last year. ‘‘Recently, they have asked for more information on the food sales because they 

don’t see the food benefiting people in need in Cuba,’’ Huddleston said. 

EXILE NOSTALGIA

But dissidents are also ‘‘quite adamant,’’ she said, that Radio Mart ́ı not become 

a station run by the exile community. ‘‘They really don’t like programs that reflect prerevolutionary events. They say 

that this is just nostalgia,’’ Huddleston said. ‘‘It must be different in tone and substance from Radio Mamb ́ı and La Poderosa.’’ Cubans contacted by The Herald agree. A woman on a visit to Miami last week 

from Santa Clara said her family listens often in the early morning and late evening 

because the government’s interference is heavier in the middle of the day. ‘‘It is not just a source of news, it is the only source of news. The state-run media 

tell you nothing,’’ she said, citing the December slaying of a family of five, including 

a couple from Hialeah Gardens. 

Lew says he knows people are counting his days, but he isn’t moving until he is 

told by Bush himself. ‘‘The president named me, and the president, if he thinks I’m not doing the job, 

can name someone else,’’ he said. ‘‘There have been people who have tried to get 

me thrown out. But here I am.’’

INCESSANT STATIC: EVERY YEAR MILLIONS OF YOUR DOLLARS ARE PUMPED INTO RADIO

AND TV MARTI ́. WHAT DO YOU GET IN RETURN?

BY KATHY GLASGOW

Published by Miami New Times Mar 28, 2002

 2002 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved.

Even in Miami, where Cuba conspiracy theories grow tall and thick like sugar 

cane at harvest time, some of Salvador Lew’s Miami listeners were surprised when 

he warned of Fidel Castro’s latest subversive campaign. Lew, director of the United 

States government’s Radio and TV Mart ́ı, appeared on Radio Mamb ́ı (WAQI–AM 

710) last month to talk about the changes he’s making at the taxpayer-funded stations, which are broadcast to Cuba. Radio Mart ́ı, Lew told listeners of the evening 

talk show Mesa Redonda, is now so popular on the island (TV Mart ́ı has virtually 

no viewers) that el comandante en jefe must attempt to discredit the operation. 

‘‘It was immediately evident,’’ affirmed the 73-year-old Lew, a former friend and 

schoolmate of Castro, ‘‘that the order had come from the Cuban government to attack Radio Mart ́ı, and me as well.’’ Pausing for a verbal nod of the head, he added, 

‘‘I’ve been told that Fidel’s brother [Raul] is also involved in the campaign against 

us.’’ That wasn’t unbelievable, since the Cuban government had indeed blasted some 

recent Mart ́ı news coverage and in a few weeks would be harshly accusing Radio 

Mart ́ı of causing an international incident when a group of young Cubans, evidently 

encouraged by provocatively edited comments made on Radio Mart ́ı, gate-crashed 

the Mexican embassy in Havana. 

But when Lew attacked critics within his own Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), 

which runs the Mart ́ı stations, the brief remarks instantly provoked rumblings from 

Miami to Washington to New York. ‘‘Here too they started to criticize me,’’ Lew acknowledged, referring to Mart ́ı employees here in Miami. 

‘‘That doesn’t worry me, because when you have a clear conscience you’re not worried about criticism or fabrications or anything. But it’s very clear to me that [the 

critics] receive their orders from Havana. What they are doing is called moral assassination. That’s how it works. It’s the same method used by the castristas there and 

here.’’

Lew didn’t name names, but he didn’t have to. Those remarks were discussed 

heatedly throughout the small world of federal broadcasting, with most observers 

136

dismissing the accusations as attempts to deflect attention from mounting discontent at Radio and TV Mart ́ı. 

But in Miami, comments like Lew’s are normally taken as threats. One of the targeted employees half-joked: ‘‘I mean, what are your chances of having a coffee at 

Versailles now?’’ The landmark Cuban restaurant and gathering place on Calle 

Ocho is perhaps less a den of intrigue these days than it was during the bombings 

and shootings within the exile community of the Sixties and Seventies. Still, to be 

branded a Castro agent in this town can be devastating. Never mind if there’s no 

proof. 

Lew, appointed to his $132,000-per-year job by President George W. Bush this 

past July, was supposed to be the savior of what had become essentially a rogue 

operation. Independent investigations in the past had questioned the professionalism and balance of Radio Mart ́ı’s news and programming, and the government’s own audience surveys showed listenership plummeting in Cuba. 

The white-haired, genial Lew is a respected political moderate, a 41-year veteran 

of Miami’s AM radio business, and a living historical treasure. His nomination to 

the highly political post—after the forced resignation of a Bill Clinton appointee—

was happily received among South Florida’s Cuban exiles as well as by Gov. Jeb 

Bush, the man who will need continued close relations with that community in his 

upcoming re-election campaign. 

After Lew assumed control of the stations, it took him only about a month to 

begin drawing fire on several fronts. His makeover goals were laudable, and in some 

aspects Radio Mart ́ı has undeniably improved. But even a number of the people who 

backed Lew most heartily now admit to being distressed by the administrative and 

financial turmoil over which he is presiding. And the Mart ́ı stations still largely look 

and sound more like a Little Havana meeting of Los Municipios de Cuba en Exilio 

than a credible U.S. government information source. Among the critiques:

• Lew has already used up the OCB’s $25 million fiscal-year budget, even raiding specially dedicated funds, to pay an unprecedented number of freelancers—without firing the virtually untouchable permanent employees. 

Many of these independent contractors are longtime personal friends of Lew, 

and some have been turned down in the past for employment at the Mart ́ı

stations.

• He has increased the presence on Radio Mart ́ı of el exilio’s most prominent, 

sometimes inflammatory, hard-line anti-Castro spokesmen and politically 

powerful commentators. For example, Radio Mamb ́ı’s general manager 

Armando Perez-Roura, a mesmerizing orator and arguably the king of exile 

radio, is heard in Cuba every day thanks to Mamb ́ı’s 50,000-watt AM signal. 

But in addition to that, he is heard for four hours and five minutes every 

week on Radio Mart ́ı. Also included on the government’s program list: Rafael 

Diaz-Balart, the father of outspoken Cuban-American Republican Congressman Lincoln.

• Soon after Lew became director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, he disbanded the long-standing editorial-review committee. As a result, none of the 

new freelance programs has had to pass any independent scrutiny.

• Two audience surveys released this past January show overwhelming acceptance in Havana of the ‘‘new’’ Radio Mart ́ı. So overwhelming, in fact, many 

skeptics have trouble believing them. The listenership figures in both surveys 

are in the 60-percent to 90 percent range, the station’s highest in 15 years. 

They come after an official U.S. study in August 2001 concluded the Radio 

Mart ́ı audience throughout Cuba was at an all-time low of five percent.

• Lew inherited a political snake pit, but some of his administrative moves 

have made the environment even more venomous. Already four women have 

filed sexual-discrimination complaints against him with the Broadcasting 

Board of Governors, the OCB’s oversight agency. Two of the women were demoted from positions of authority and replaced by men whom they allege are 

less qualified. All the women state in affidavits that they have been subjected 

to demeaning remarks and inferior job assignments. In addition, other OCB 

workers have contacted federal authorities alleging civil-rights violations, apparently prompting two recent visits to the OCB from investigators in Washington. 

Cuban author Norberto Fuentes, who was among the Havana elite before defecting to the U.S. in 1994, is one of numerous observers who believe hope for the Mart ́ı

stations is lost as long as Washington puts the Office of Cuba Broadcasting at the 

137

disposal of South Florida exiles. ‘‘Radio Mart ́ı has become for . . . [U.S. presidential] 

administrations the carrot attached to the stick with which they can entice the Cubans in Miami, the objective being above all to obtain those important votes in 

South Florida,’’ Fuentes opines on his Website (www.norbertofuentes.com). ‘‘[Radio 

Mart ́ı is no longer] an instrument of U.S. foreign policy, which was the objective of 

its creation.’’ U.S. foreign policy, including its Cuba policies, lately has been subject to rethink- ing. Now facing a $46 billion federal budget deficit and the prospect of reordering 

its economic priorities, Congress will soon decide where the Mart ́ı stations will 

stand in the newer world order. The White House has repeatedly expressed its determination to maintain a hard line toward Castro and to find ways to overcome 

the jamming of Radio and TV Mart ́ı, thus allowing the U.S. to more effectively reach 

the Cuban people. But the Clinton administration vowed the same thing. The technical and political obstacles to reforming the Mart ́ı stations have always proved 

greater than the will to change. 

The proposed 2003–2004 budget now before Congress provides almost $26 million for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, with $15.8 million of that going to Radio Mart ́ı and $10.2 million to TV. This is more than the $25 million the OCB received in 

2002–2003. The Mart ́ı stations are fortunate because many other federal programs 

stand to be cut back drastically; however, if the administration is serious about 

making real improvement in its broadcasts to Cuba, that will take more money. And 

it will take even more technical expertise and political will to make TV Mart ́ı the 

tool of democratic change its supporters insist it can be. The television station has 

been seen by virtually no one since it first went on the air in 1990 (Radio Mart ́ı started five years earlier). The Castro government has always maintained that the 

broadcasts, transmitted in predawn hours from a blimp over Cudjoe Key, violate 

international treaties forbidding the use of other nations’ airspace. The UHF signal 

is easily jammed. Thus nearly every year there is a move in Congress to eliminate 

funding for the station. And nearly every year attempts to mess with TV Mart ́ı are squashed by the tiny but influential Cuban-American delegation. Now, however, a 

growing number of Republicans are pushing for normalization of relations with 

Cuba, and combined with the present economic uncertainties, the pressure to eliminate TV Mart ́ı may be stronger than ever. But it’s the 24-hour Radio Mart ́ı (broadcast on short-wave and at 1180 AM) that Cubans can more readily receive, and it’s Radio Mart ́ı that everyone is fighting over. 

Soon after Lew moved into the director’s office in the OCB’s complex northwest 

of Miami International Airport, he freed up much more airtime on Radio Mart ́ı for 

news. He scheduled a total of five hours of news in one- or two-hour blocks scattered 

throughout every weekday, with bulletins at the half-hour. Previously the time allotted for newscasts had totaled less than two hours per weekday. 

Lew wanted quality as well as quantity. For several years the professionalism of 

Radio Mart ́ı’s news and other programming had been lambasted by independent and 

government analysts. The content of the current Mart ́ı broadcasts is somewhat limited in scope and perspective—much of it has been pulled off newswires and Internet services, including the independent news associations proliferating throughout 

Cuba, not all of which are verifiably factual. A generally positive aspect of the news 

programming is the participation of many independent journalists on the island, as 

well as Cuban activists newly arrived in Miami. 

The coverage of news within the United States is limited to issues and events directly relating to the island, especially reactions of exile groups to whatever bad 

news is coming out of Cuba at the moment. As with all of 

Miami’s AM exile radio stations, good news about Cuba does not exist on Radio 

Mart ́ı. Other news without a specific Cuban connection but that would be of interest 

to many people—the sex scandals in the Catholic church, for example—receive little 

attention. But now there are also regular dispatches from Washington, New York, 

and the United Nations, and a few foreign posts in Europe and Latin America. 

The expanded news broadcasts were applauded by almost everyone except the 

newsroom employees who were reassigned to make way for squads of new contract, 

or freelance, workers. In his quest to improve Radio Mart ́ı and to a lesser extent 

TV Mart ́ı, Lew has hired an unprecedented number of freelancers: at least 40, approximately the same number as permanent employees, swelling the freelance ranks 

to about 125. (OCB employs a total of approximately 200 people.) The ostensibly 

temporary workers have strained Radio Mart ́ı’s facilities and finances to the limit. 

‘‘We’ve had some bad [OCB directors],’’ remarks a senior employee who doesn’t want 

to be identified, ‘‘but this takes the cake. They remove people from their positions 

to replace them with friends on contract. The waste and abuse was rampant in the 

138

past; now it’s immoral. I had to go through a series of investigations to get my ID, 

whereas these people get them in a few days, and they’re using the government’s facilities, they get the computer passwords—they’ve even taken all the parking.’’ According to some veteran contract workers, the new arrivals have also taken 

much of the money. For instance Enrique Patterson, one of the few black people appearing on any Mart ́ı program, had his half-hour program fee cut from $100 to $85. ‘‘I’d do my show for free because I am so committed to the situation in Cuba,’’ declares Patterson, a Miami-Dade schoolteacher and occasional El Nuevo Herald columnist. ‘‘But I can’t understand why they pay some new guy $200 a program and another girl $400 a program. I consider it offensive. They might be professionals, 

but at the same time they’re newcomers and I have been on the air more than five 

years. Why is this? Do you have to be white and a friend of the director?’’ Lew angrily denies that race or friendship determine pay. But how does Patter- son’s $85 compare to the $220 per half-hour paid to Olga Connor, a writer for El Nuevo Herald who recently launched a twice-weekly hourlong arts show? Or $275 

per hour for psychic and poet Sassy Alfaro, a friend of Lew, who now hosts a twicedaily weekend program about Santer ́ıa? In addition Rolando Espinosa, longtime 

business partner of convicted felon Demetrio Perez, Jr., and former school board 

member, makes $125 per half-hour show about prerevolutionary Cuban history. 

There’s one form of discrimination no one can accuse Lew of practicing ageism. 

He’s put senior citizens, most of whom happen to be his close associates, in top positions throughout the OCB. Lazaro Asencio, 75 years old and Lew’s friend from their 

childhood in Las Villas province, was recently named news director, a position that 

pays $80,000 per year. In Cuba Asencio was a commander in Castro’s rebel army 

who later fought against the communist regime. 

Asencio’s right-hand man is his friend Agustin Alles, who was Radio Mart ́ı’s news director from 1991 until 1995, when he was transferred to the assignment desk following repeated allegations of incompetence, bias, and retaliation. The 75-year-old 

Alles, like Asencio, was in the thick of revolutionary activity in Cuba during the Fifties. Asencio, Alles, and Lew—all veterans of Miami’s anti-Castro radio industry— now make the news decisions at Radio Mart ́ı. Despite decades in the U.S., neither 

Alles nor Asencio is fluent in English, a liability when supervising news coverage 

in the U.S. and Europe. Lew insists it’s more important for him to work with people 

he’s comfortable around. He has always remained loyal to his friends, he says—at 

least everyone but Fidel Castro. Lew has maintained ties with a fascinating collection of former Cuban ministers and revolutionary heroes, artists, and intellectuals. 

He’s close to Fidel’s younger sister Juanita, a Miami resident, and other Castro family members. 

In Havana Lew was an attorney at a firm that once represented American 

Mafioso Santo Trafficante. He went into exile in 1960. Less than two years later, 

working as a show host at WQBA–AM (1140), he was informed that Russian ships 

bearing missiles were docking in Cuba. Lew broke the news weeks before the Kennedy administration acknowledge the Russian presence 90 miles from U.S. shores—

the start of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Lew continued at WQBA for another eleven years, eventually becoming news editor. From 1976 to 1978 he served as assistant Dade County manager, then went 

back to radio. He’s best known for his lunchtime talk show, Pen ̃ a Azul, which he 

broadcast live for fourteen years from a table at the now-defunct Centro Vasco restaurant on Calle Ocho. For three years, until he assumed his OCB job, he and his 

various invited guests lunched and philosophized amid the bustle at the Rancho 

Luna restaurant on SW 22nd Avenue. 

During the Eighties Lew lobbied unsuccessfully to be appointed to the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC), but in 1989 President George Bush named him 

to the bipartisan President’s Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, a body created 

by Congress to monitor the content and technical viability of Radio and TV Mart ́ı. 

From this board, which had been dormant for three years, Lew stepped into the 

OCB directorship. 

Today, more than five years after the Mart ́ı stations moved from the dignified bureaucratic halls of Washington, D.C., to the Third World hothouse of Miami, it’s undeniable that the relocation did—as critics of the move warned—transform the stations into exile mouthpieces. A Washington source familiar with the Mart ́ı stations 

relates a comment he heard from an elderly black Cuban who immigrated to Miami 

a few years ago. ‘‘We were at the funeral in Miami of Willy Portuondo, a legendary 

Cuban sportscaster and one of the few blacks who ever worked at Radio Mart ́ı,’’ the 

source relates. ‘‘I was talking to his friend, a very sophisticated guy, and he just 

looked at me and said, ‘‘I stopped listening to Radio Mart ́ı [in Cuba], because if I 

139

want to hear Radio Mamb ́ı, I’ll listen to the real thing, not an imitation.’ He said, ‘[Radio Mart ́ı] has to provide credible news and it doesn’t.’ ’’ Indeed Mamb ́ı’s influence over Radio Mart ́ı is unmistakable. For one thing, a 

huge proportion of Radio Mart ́ı’s reporters and editors used to work at Mamb ́ı or WQBA–AM (formerly La Cuban ́ısima). Another Mamb ́ı touch is the five-minute 

commentary, once per week during a regularly scheduled newscast, by Armando 

Perez-Roura. An hourlong edited version of one of Perez-Roura’s programs on 

Mamb ́ı, Pen ̃ a Mambisa, also runs four times every weekend on Radio Mart ́ı. PerezRoura doesn’t get paid for his Mart ́ı airtime, although Jesus Garcia, a Mamb ́ı em- ployee who produces Pen ̃ a Mambisa and transports the edited tapes from Mamb ́ı to Mart ́ı, bills the government $175 per week for that service. 

This arrangement isn’t new; Lew’s predecessor at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, 

Herminio San Roman, originally asked Perez-Roura to appear on Radio Mart ́ı. Lew, 

however, has more than doubled Perez-Roura’s airtime. Perez-Roura himself takes 

a modest measure of his influence and sees nothing wrong with Radio Mart ́ı airing 

his programs. ‘‘A good station presents a cocktail of programs,’’ he offers. ‘‘It informs, analyzes, orients, entertains.’’ Lew explains Perez-Roura’s presence on Radio 

Mart ́ı this way: ‘‘It’s inconceivable that the most popular commentator in Miami is 

not Heard in Cuba.’’ (This despite the fact that Radio Mamb ́ı carries his voice to 

Cuba every day.) 

Perez-Roura is hardly the only Mamb ́ı voice heard on Radio Mart ́ı. Lew’s friend 

Santiago Aranegui hosts programs on both stations, and Rafael Diaz-Balart is a regular guest and commentator on both. Diaz-Balart, who recently proclaimed on Radio 

Mamb ́ı that the Castro government is ‘‘worse than the Taliban’’ in its treatment of 

women, is Fidel Castro’s former brother-in-law, a former minister in the Batista 

government, and father of politicians Lincoln and Mario and TV personality Jose ́. When the elder Diaz-Balart and historian Enrique Ros, father of U.S. Rep. Ileana 

Ros-Lehtinen, were first contracted to appear on Radio Mart ́ı in 1997, protests 

erupted over the wisdom of giving taxpayer-sponsored airtime to the fathers of Florida’s two Cuban-American members of Congress, who also happened to be the most 

vocal champions of the Mart ́ı stations in the House. Ros subsequently ceased his 

Radio Mart ́ı appearances. 

Lew’s friend Nancy Perez-Crespo, a regular contributor to Radio Mamb ́ı’s Mesa 

Revuelta program, is under contract to host a show five evenings per week on Radio 

Mart ́ı, for which she is paid more than $45,000 annually. One of Perez-Crespo’s frequent guests is Ninoska Perez Castellon of WQBA–AM (1140), former spokeswoman 

for the Cuban American National Foundation before leading an exodus of influential 

members last summer. Perez Castellon is already famous both here and in Cuba 

for her crank calls to the island that fluster and embarrass top communist party 

officials. 

Recently on Radio Mart ́ı, Perez-Crespo interviewed two men who ‘‘investigate the 

activities of Cubans in the United States who work for the Castro regime.’’ The Cubans working for Castro turned out to be those who advocated normalization of relations with Cuba and who helped bring Cuban musicians (such as Los Van Van) to 

perform in the United States. The entire half-hour was dedicated to trashing, by 

name, prominent organizations and individuals, including Democratic Party activist 

and Bay of Pigs veteran Alfredo Duran and University of Miami scholar Max Castro, a regular contributor to the Miami Herald. ‘‘They call themselves Cubans, they 

talk about intolerance here, when they’re intolerant,’’ Perez-Crespo protested. 

‘‘Maybe they’ve been sent directly from the [Castro] regime.’’ Max Castro, she added, 

was ‘‘Fidel Castro’s columnist in the Miami Herald.’’

Daily listening to Radio Mart ́ı (accessible via the Internet; see sidebar) leaves the 

distinct impression that many of these Miami Cubans reaching out to those on the 

island are talking to the Cuba of the Forties and Fifties, or to a land they have reconstructed secondhand from contacts with dissidents and newly arrived immigrants. The majority of those now calling the shots at the Mart ́ı stations (as at all 

the other exile stations) are white, middle-class men who departed Cuba soon after 

the revolution. 

When he took office, Lew said that Radio Mart ́ı programs would emphasize that 

most Cubans were better off economically under dictator Fulgencio Batista than 

they are under Castro. And sure enough, in show after show, a plentiful supply of 

dissidents on the island and activists in exile recount, discuss, and protest the terrible conditions on the island. But the very monotony of this complaining tends to 

dull the impact of hearing about Cuba’s pressing economic and human-rights depredations. ‘‘[Mart ́ı management] is clueless as to what Cubans really want to hear,’’

scoffs one longtime OCB employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘‘[Cubans 

on the island] know how bad they’re doing. They don’t need to hear about it all the 

time, and they don’t care how great the economy was under Batista. [The Mart ́ı staVerDate May 01 2002 11:57 Jul 23, 2002 Jkt 078947 PO 00000 Frm 00143 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\FULL\M042502\78949 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL
140

tions] always had a quality newscast in Washington, where they would cover world 

events. Now we’re covering somebody’s friend’s stuff in Miami.’’ Lew counters that he’s gradually making the station more relevant to contemporary Cubans. He touts Sassy Alfaro’s Santer ́ıa show as an outreach to ‘‘Afro-Cubans,’’ and he’s proud of an upcoming program about the Cuban military, to be produced in Washington by Radio Mart ́ı’s respected first news director, Jay Mallin. The 

Miami-Dade Housing Authority director, Rene Rodriguez, has agreed to present 

(free of charge) a weekly program about the kinds of housing available to low-income immigrants. 

None of these or the other new shows have been screened or approved by anyone 

except Lew. When the Mart ́ı stations were in Washington, each proposed show was 

evaluated by a professional review board and often revised before it went on the air. 

By the time the OCB had settled in Miami, the review board had been reduced to 

a panel of politically placed employees. Then Lew did away with even that. He 

promises to reinstate a review committee when he can find the right people to be 

on it. Enrique Patterson, for one, isn’t encouraged. ‘‘My program passed for quality 

when I started,’’ Patterson relates. ‘‘But Dr. Lew canceled the board, and after that 

they make programs like Mamb ́ı: people talking and not presenting any basis [for 

their statements]. This is government money and you have to follow certain procedures. If they still had the [review] board, just about all the programs at present 

would have been rejected.’’ Lew and his supporters dispute that, and have released the impressive results of 

two listener surveys to prove Radio Mart ́ı is regaining its old vigor. In one survey, 

members of a Cuban independent journalists’ association (the Foundation of Associated Independent Journalists) claimed to have interviewed 1000 people on the 

streets of Havana. The responses indicated 92.5 percent of them listened to Radio 

Mart ́ı every day and 62.3 percent listen all day, every day. A much smaller sampling at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana also reported that a high percentage 

of the types of Cubans likely to be found at the Interests Section (professionals and 

dissidents) listened to Radio Mart ́ı. These results were surprising in light of the U.S. government survey of August 

2001, which reported a rock-bottom five-percent listenership. When the two highly 

favorable surveys were made public, the reaction in Washington and Miami was 

generally skeptical, with some knowledgeable observers labeling the independent 

journalists’ appraisal fraudulent; they doubted that so many Cubans, normally reluctant to admit doing something for which they could be punished, had answered 

the extensive list of questions the journalists claim to have posed. 

If the surveys raise questions about the integrity of the Office of Cuba 

Broadcasting’s external affairs, the recent raft of employee complaints does the 

same for its internal affairs. These complaints to federal oversight offices add to the 

ugly mess left by Lew’s predecessor, Miami attorney Herminio San Roman. When 

San Roman resigned as OCB director last July, at least four lawsuits against him 

and his top managers were pending. The complaints alleged unfair demotion or dismissal, discrimination, even blackmail. The plaintiff in one suit who alleged discrimination based on national origin won her case a year ago and was awarded 

$300,000 in compensatory damages. Now the new complaints are piled on the pending cases. 

The four women alleging sexual discrimination against Lew referred questions to 

their Miami attorney, Robert Weisberg. Two of the women, Christina Sanso ́n and 

Martha Yedra, were removed from positions of authority (acting news director and 

program director, respectively), replaced by men, and given jobs they believe were 

designed to force them to resign. The other women, Michelle Sague ́ and Carmen 

Steegers, allegedly were diverted to inferior assignments and denied promotions 

that were given to men. All four claim they complained several times last summer 

to the Broadcasting Board of Governors’ Office of Civil Rights but received no response until January or February 2002. 

Other employees say they’re consulting attorneys after contractors, some of whom 

allegedly had been rejected for employment in the past, took over all or part of their 

former duties. Several employees and freelancers say they have spoken with representatives from the U.S. state department’s Office of the Inspector General or the 

Office of Civil Rights at the BBG. Enrique Patterson vows to ‘‘go to court’’ if he 

doesn’t receive equal pay for equal work. 

The Mart ́ı stations’ history is marked by regular investigations of bias, favoritism, 

journalistic incompetence, and mistreatment of employees. Several scathing reports 

have been issued, the most recent by the State Department’s Office of the Inspector 

General in early 1999, which called for closer supervision of the Mart ́ı stations by 

141

federal administrators. But the political unrest—fueled by internecine conflicts 

among exile interests and Washington’s willingness to relinquish the Mart ́ı stations 

to these interests—dooms the OCB to a future of endless, debilitating power struggles. Lost amid the turmoil is the mandate to speak with the voice of America, to 

provide credible, uncensored information to Cuba. 

‘‘Maybe the situation at Radio Mart ́ı has become so dysfunctional they could appoint Sir Lancelot to run the station and there’d be complaints,’’ muses a Washington source familiar with OCB operations. ‘‘I think the place no longer knows 

what its mission is. The move to Miami has given many dedicated people nowhere 

to go. They’ve lost their moorings, and there’s no professional supervision that 

would fix this.’’

Chairman HYDE. And the Chair recognizes Mr. Delahunt. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I thank the Chair for recognizing me, without 

seeking recognition. I continually appreciate that, Mr. Chairman. 

I would just simply echo the statement by my friend from Arizona. We did visit the operations there. It is clear that the Marti 

operations are in disarray, total disarray, and that was pointed out 

by the articles that have been introduced to the record. I thought 

one quote from the Miami Herald was particularly noteworthy. 

I know that there have been a number of investigations involving 

Radio and TV Marti in the office of Cuba Broadcasting, dating back 

to 1987. But, it appears that at the current moment, the operation 

has hit its nadir, if you will. One staffer said, and again I am 

quoting from the Miami Herald article,

‘‘Every time there is a new administrator, there are problems.’’

But this is a total revolution. 

We owe it to the American taxpayers, we owe it to the Cuban 

people, to take a hard look at what is occurring with the operation 

at Radio Marti. I would commend to all of my colleagues on the 

Committee to review these articles. They are particularly enlightening and I would add profoundly disturbing. 

In terms of TV Marti, as the gentleman from Arizona indicated, 

it is time to end that particular operation, because it is a TV station without an audience. It simply doesn’t penetrate. No ordinary 

citizen in Cuba sees any programming from TV Marti and it costs 

the American people, to this point in time, 157 million. Next year, 

it will be another 10.2 million, an increase in the budget. 

I guess we could call it a joke, but it is a very bad joke. And I 

would point out, as Mr. Flake has indicated, that any authorizing 

monies that were allocated to TV Marti would be authorized to be 

reallocated to Radio Marti and, hopefully, the problems that are 

plaguing Radio Marti could be dealt with and remedied. 

At this point, I yield back. 

Chairman HYDE. The Chair recognizes Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of 

Florida. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, so much, Mr. Chairman. I love 

it when my colleagues say that they have spoken to the Cuban people. You know, my uncle, who lives in our house in Cuba, went to 

jail for telling a joke about Fidel Castro. You guys really think that 

you go to Cuba and you meet with the Cuban people and the 

Cuban people tell you what they think. And you guys really think 

that you can do a survey in Cuba and the Cuban people tell you 

what they think. People go to jail in Cuba for telling you what they 

think. 

142

Let me tell you what the Cuban people think, and I will read you 

this quote from Ernesto Diaz. He is a gentleman, who spent 23 

years in prison for saying what he thinks, and what he thinks is 

freedom and democracy, and those are unlawful acts in Cuba. And 

I will read it to you in Spanish and loosely translate it.

‘‘Radio Marti y TV Marti reflejan el espiritu de Jose Marti, 

el gran lider de la independencia de Cuba, al que deben su n 

obre las dos estaciones. Del ideal martiano es el pensamiento: 

Los hombres se dividen entre aquellos que aman y construyen, 

y aquellos que odian y destruyen.’’

What he says is Radio and TV Marti reflects the spirit of Jose 

Marti, the grand leader of the independence movement of Cuba, 

whose name bears in the station. The ideal Marti philosophy can 

be summarized by his quote,

‘‘Men are divided in two camps: those, who love and construct 

and build, and those, who hate and destroy.’’

This amendment that Mr. Flake is presenting, both amendments, 

are hateful amendments and destructive amendments. Mr. Chairman, last Friday, just last Friday, at the U.N. Commission on 

Human Rights, the Castro regime was condemned for its systematic violation of human rights. Its record is so egregious, so deplorable, that its own hemispheric neighbors, for the first time ever, 

authored, sponsored, and voted for the resolution. The Castro regime’s reaction was to attack the leader of these countries, to denigrate our own President, our own Secretary of State, our Ambassadors, our State Department personnel, and underscored that it 

will never allow any human rights investigators into Cuba, reflecting that it rejects the requirements set forth in the resolution 

passed at the Commission, that calls for the Office of the High 

Commissioner for Human Rights to further investigate the situation in Cuba. 

But, this is nothing new for the Castro regime. It has never allowed the U.S. Special Repertoire on Cuba to enter Cuba, nor has 

given entry to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 

or the OES Special Repertoire for Freedom of Expression. There is 

no freedom of expression in Cuba. 

What do you think, the people are telling you the truth? The surveys? These are the surveys, who said that Daniel Ortega was 

going to be elected President in Nicaragua, when people were 

scared to say who they were going to vote for when he was booted 

out of office. 

As a result of these and other unacceptable behavior, what has 

happened this very week? This very week, the government of Uruguay broke diplomatic relations for Cuba. While we are, in the U.S. 

Congress, is trying to help Fidel Castro, the government of Honduras has refused to send an Ambassador to Cuba this very week. 

And even the Mexico-Cuban relations are significantly strained, 

with The Washington Post reporting yesterday, and Mr. Burton will 

allude to that, that Castro’s light may finally be dimming, as his 

isolation intensifies. 

Therefore, within this context, how can we, in the U.S. Congress, 

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ship. At every meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, at every 

international fora, Cuba’s tyrannical regime denounces Radio and 

TV Marti, as violations of Cuban sovereignty, and calls for an immediate cessation of its transmissions. 

That is what Mr. Flake’s amendment tries to do, immediately 

stop these transmissions. He may want to cover it up in any way 

he wants, but their efforts to prevent Radio and TV Marti transmissions are so extensive, that Cuba has recruited military experts 

and engineers from China’s communist regime, to upgrade Cuba’s 

equipment in jamming capabilities. 

The fact is that Radio and TV Marti is one indivisible unit, which 

composes the Cuba broadcasting. It removes the veil of silence that 

the regime imposes on its people. And that is why the dictatorship 

will do anything in its power to halt the broadcast. 

Should we work to achieve a wider audience? Certainly. However, rather than cutting funding for Radio Marti or TV Marti, 

what we should be doing is providing the resources to overcome the 

jamming of TV Marti that is taking place. 

Voice of America and Radio Free Asia broadcast to China, Tibet, 

Vietnam, and North Korea are jammed to such an extent that 

barely anything gets through. However, where are the amendments 

to cut funds for these important endeavors? If you want to save 

these taxpayer dollars, let us cut those programs. Is that what you 

want to do? 

In fact, in the February 12, 2002 letter to Chairman Hyde and 

Appropriations Chairman Wolfe, the Broadcasting Board of Governors proposed a transfer of $1.2 million to defeat jamming and 

reach a wider audience for Radio Free Asia and Voice of America. 

That is what we need to do for TV Marti. Why should we assist 

and support the independent voices in that region, but seek to deny 

the Cuban people any element of Cuba broadcasting? 

These amendments are disingenuous, because their goals are to 

provide the Castro regime with a much needed victory, at a time 

when it is being isolated by its own hemispheric neighbors and ostracized by the international community, as demonstrated by the 

U.N. vote last week. 

If passed, this amendment will mean that this bill will not 

progress, as the leadership and the White House are committed to 

blocking any effort to soften U.S. policy toward the regime. The 

President is personally committed to make both TV and Radio 

Marti a success. They are critical tools in the U.S. efforts to bring 

democracy to Cuba. 

And if we had had the opportunity to know, instead of in the 

dead of night, that these amendments were going to be offered, we 

would have been glad to bring up Cuban exiles, former political 

prisoners, all these people, who you surveyed, who, you know, free 

expression in Cuba, many of them former political prisoners, to attest to the fact that Radio Marti may be jammed in Havana, but 

it is reaching the interior parts of the islands. And proponents will 

say that they spoke to Cubans and experts and complained about 

programming. Come on, guys. Don’t you know a dictatorship when 

you see one? 

And when you talk about investigations and audits, since the fall 

of 1987, Radio and TV Marti has been subjected to 52 investigation 

144

and audits, 52, including programming evaluations. Changes have 

been made, but Cuban broadcasting, overall, has passed these reviews with flying colors. 

This amendment is a waste of taxpayer funds. We’ve done this, 

been there, done that. You want to do it again? Come on, it is the 

same old thing. Given that Radio Marti’s listenership has increased, there is no reason, no justification for these amendments. 

The only thing this would do, to accomplish, would be to empower 

those, who want no Radio Marti, so that they can continue to exert 

absolute control over the medium of communication, that is the 

Castro regime. 

So, please, I ask our colleagues, do not do this to the Cuban people. Do not take away their hope. Vote against these amendments, 

and they are very disingenuous. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentlelady’s time has expired. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Muchos gracias, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Menendez. 

Mr. MENENDEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I strongly oppose the 

Flake-Delahunt amendment. And I urge my colleagues—I know 

that many on this Committee had a different view about U.S.-Cuba 

policy. And while I disagree with them very strongly, I respect it. 

However, what they seek to do, in this regard, sets a precedent for 

surrogate broadcasting throughout the world, that I think is a dangerous one. And for those Members of the Committee, who care 

about our surrogate broadcasting in the world, understand at what 

level you want to create the judgment, as to whether something is 

efficient or not. And that is, in part, what you are going to do here 

today. 

As the gentlelady referred to, if we look at our surrogate broadcasting in different parts of the world, which have been with great 

advocacy offered by many Members of this Committee, which I 

have supported, you will see that we have never, ever, because of 

jamming, ceased to operate the efforts of our surrogate broadcasting. 

We recognize that totalitarian regimes will jam, because they are 

afraid of just the simple information that will get to its people. But, 

we have never allowed that to stop us. We have never allowed a 

relatively small market share, by what we consider to be significant market shares, to stop the surrogate broadcasting in other 

parts or the world. We understand that the efforts to do surrogate 

broadcasting are important to the window, that we can penetrate, 

and important at key crucial moments, where changes in those 

countries may take place, and in which having that structure to operate is crucial. 

So this is far more than those, who just seek to change our policy 

toward Cuba. You are looking at creating a threshold level, that I 

don’t know how many surrogate broadcasting systems that we do 

will be able to survive. And I would be happy to look at them. 

Mr. BERMAN. Would the gentleman yield? 

Mr. MENENDEZ. I have limited time. I would be happy on the 

gentleman’s time to yield, as well. 

Secondly, we have the capability, if we have the will, to penetrate and have a greater market share. We already have significant 

market share, when you think about the tens of thousands, who 

145

visit the U.S. Interest Section, where Television Marti is constantly 

being played. And all of those, who are waiting there, as they try 

to process their documents and get out of Cuba to come to the 

United States, see Television Marti there. 

You do not estimate the value of the Cuban military that has access to Television and Radio Marti, for which we transmit messages and have specific programming going to that military, which 

is crucial at the moment of change, as to how that military will 

react. Will they turn their guns on their brothers and sisters, or 

will they refrain from doing so? That is an important aspect. 

You do not think about all of the hotels, where Television Marti 

is penetrating through, where Cubans are working and having access to it. And, clearly, if Radio Marti was so dismally effective, 

then why does the Castro regime spend enormous amounts of 

money, which it should be using to put food on the plates of Cuban 

families, to jam it, if it is so damn unsuccessful? 

I would say to my colleagues that I know of people in my district, 

and I welcome you to visit people in my district, those, who are recent arrivals from Cuba, those, who have arrived in the last year, 

those, who have arrived in the last 5 years, who will tell you, now 

that they are in freedom, the attention and opportunity they had 

to Radio and Television Marti. I will tell you about the human 

rights act of its political dissidents and those, who were political 

prisoners, who will tell you that, in part, their recognition of what 

was happening on one side of the island to another, to the extent 

that they could not communicate with each other in Cuba, Radio 

and Television Marti gave them that opportunity to understand 

what they were doing to the island and create a sense of solidarity. 

We have enormous opportunities to make all of this broadcasting 

more successful. You know, in southern California, there are beams 

to Iran done privately. Cuba has a large number of cassettes and 

VCRs. We could be taking Television Marti’s programming and giving those VCRs to the Interest Section and to other human rights 

organizations. We could have broadcast to—we could have 12-inch 

dishes to Cuba. Many of the Cuban people, through their ingenuity, 

have already created similar type dishes. We could be creating CD 

ROMs, to be able to provide Television Marti’s broadcasting to the 

Cuban people. 

So, my friends, since I don’t want to delay the time, the question 

is, instead of opening up ways of information to one of the closed 

societies in our hemisphere and in the world, the people, who often 

speak about democracy and human rights all over the world and 

want to create more opportunities, here cease to close the opportunities that exist to the Cuban people. And after they slay Television Marti, then their next thing will be to slay Radio Marti, because since this has been created in 1990, every year, the opponents of U.S. Cuba policy have had an incessant number of investigations just to cripple that agency. No other agency has had to 

suffer what the Office of Cuba Broadcasting has had to suffer, simply because people disagree. 

Let us open up the window of information. Let us not shut it 

tight. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Burton. 

Mr. BURTON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

146

Chairman HYDE. I am going to ask the membership—and everybody wants to talk on this and I can understand why. It is with 

maximum effort I am restraining myself. But, I would like us to 

move along. So, if you could be brief, I would appreciate it. I am 

going to observe the 5-minute rule more rigorously than I have 

heretofore. Mr. Burton. 

Mr. BURTON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for deciding to do that 

when I got the mic. [Laughter.] 

Chairman HYDE. Do you suspect a hidden agenda? 

Mr. BURTON. I don’t know, Mr. Chairman, but I hope you come 

before my Committee before too long. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman’s time has expired. [Laughter.] 

Mr. BURTON. Mr. Chairman, one of the things I think my colleagues and I have great admiration for Mr. Delahunt and Mr. 

Flake, one of the things I think that they may not be aware of is 

that Castro’s Cuba—Cuba’s Castro got his marching orders originally from the Soviet Union. And when he created his communist 

state, he created a bloc captive system. And in almost every bloc, 

there is an informant, who informs on the people in that bloc, if 

they complain against the government in anyway. 

And when you talk about surveys, I echo what my colleague from 

Florida said, Ms. Lehtinen said, and that is, those surveys cannot 

be accurate. There is absolutely no way that the people in that 

country are going to tell somebody, who is conducting a survey, 

what they think about Radio Marti, TV Marti, or anything else. 

If you don’t believe that, if you don’t believe the pressure that is 

put on those people, I hope you will all read a book. There is a book 

by a fellow named Armando Valaderes and it is called Against All 

Hope. I wish everybody would read that book. I read it on a plane 

and I started crying when I read that, and the guy next to me 

thought something was wrong with me and he started asking me 

if he could help. But, if you read that book and you start getting 

a flavor of what Castro does to his people, you will start to realize 

the repression that they have to live under everyday and the fear 

they have to live with. And any way that we can, to get the message of freedom and hope into that country, we should do it. We 

should do it every single day that we can. 

Now, I went to the Human Rights Commission meeting in Switzerland some years ago, in Geneva, and we passed by one vote a 

condemnation of Cuba, regarding their human rights, and we got 

almost no votes out of Latin America. Let me just tell you how they 

voted last week: Uruguay sponsored the legislation to condemn 

Castro’s human rights record; Peru; Costa Rica; El Salvador; Nicaragua—Nicaragua, remember they were a communist state not 

long ago; Guatemala; El Salvador; and even Mexico voted for it, 

who has never voted for it. 

Now, the reason I bring that up is they are starting to see what 

Castro is all about. And here we are, the last bastion of freedom, 

the best bastion of freedom in the whole world, and we are starting 

to open up to Fidel Castro, while the rest of the world is starting 

to see him for what he really is. 

I could go on and on and on, but the Chairman is going to try 

to cut me off here in a minute, which might be difficult to do and 

I don’t want to get into it with him. But let me just tell you that 

147

I think it is very important that we continue to support and expand 

our support for TV Marti and Radio Marti. 

And lastly, let me just say to my colleague, the Chairman, he 

wanted to limit this to the problems in the Middle East and I think 

that is the intent of most of the amendments. So, I think this is 

reaching into an area that we don’t want to get into today. 

And last, let me just say this, if you ask those people from the 

State Department out there, if Cuba is still on the terrorist list, 

they are. They are still supporting the ELN in Colombia and the 

FARC guerillas, who are providing terrorist activities to the government of Colombia, and providing to our kids on the streets, the 

largest amount of cocaine and heroin of any country in the world. 

And Castro is working with them today, as he always has, and I 

don’t think we ought to be doing anything to let up on him. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Ms. Lee from California. 

Ms. LEE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Well, obviously, TV Marti 

is not working and neither is Radio Marti, so this resolution, quite 

frankly, does not go far enough. TV Marti and Radio Marti really 

have not destabilized the Cuban government. So, we are talking 

about millions of taxpayer dollars going down the tube. It has really been a horrible waste for both. So, minimally, we should review 

and look at what is going on there, minimally just in deference to 

our own taxpayer money here. 

Central to public diplomacy, which we all have heard this morning and which we all know is engagement and dialogue. Taxpayer 

money would be better spent by increasing diplomacy, cultural, and 

educational exchanges. We need to promote democracy by example 

and by dialogue and by interaction. 

Of course, the greatest impediment, I believe, to our public diplomacy efforts, especially with regard to Cuba, is the embargo, which 

should end. Then, the Cuban people will really have a better understanding of what America stands for. But, minimally, I believe, 

that this resolution should at least be past, because I think it is 

one step in the right direction. 

I yield the balance of my time. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Would you yield to me, for a moment? 

Ms. LEE. Yes, I yield to Mr. Delahunt. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I am going to have to respond. I have great respect for the gentleman from New Jersey and while we disagree on 

this particular issue, I think it is recognized that on most issues 

involving this hemisphere, we are in agreement. 

But, I think that the argument that you cannot make the distinction between TV Marti and Radio Marti is one that is not based 

in fact. They both started at different times; one in 1990, in the 

case of TV Marti, and in the case of Radio Marti, in 1985. 

If you read this particular amendment, it authorizes any funds 

that have not been appropriated for TV Marti, which is a joke—

it is a joke. There is no audience. It is a TV without an audience. 

There is nobody, unless you go and sit down on the sofa at the Interest Section. And those folks, who are at the Interest Section, 

hopefully are on their way here. They are on their way here. Let 

us do it sensibly. 

148

I would like to be able to sit down with the Chairman of the Government Reform Committee. I got to know him well during the 

course of the past year. He is a man of genuine conviction and sincere passion. But, Congressman Burton, TV Marti just doesn’t 

make any sense whatsoever. 

And on the area of human rights, there is no disagreement 

among us. But, I, also, would note that when that particular resolution passed, there was language in there that condemned our embargo. So, let us, as they say on Fox News, let us be balanced. Let 

us be respectful, in terms of our debate. Let us have a healthy discourse on that. And I bet if we all sat down, we wouldn’t have to 

indulge in strident rhetoric and be accusatory and make statements that have absolutely no basis in fact. 

I yield to the——

Mr. MENENDEZ. Would the gentleman yield? 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I yield to Mr. Menendez. 

Mr. MENENDEZ. I hope you are not using Fox News as an emblem of balance. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I agree with you, Mr. Menendez. 

Mr. CHABOT. Would the gentleman yield? To be perfectly accurate, it is fair and balanced, not just balanced. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I yield to Mr. Chabot, fair and balanced. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman’s time has expired. Mr. Royce? 

Mr. ROYCE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to make a couple 

of points. One is, in terms of the jamming of Television Marti, that 

is something that is being addressed as we speak. There are new 

technologies that the Administration is trying to implement that 

would prevent jamming of the television broadcast. 

Second, we have, in the past, successfully developed technologies 

in Asia that allow us to offset jamming. I would point out that even 

in North Korea, where there is a very, very small audience listening, what has been the result of people monitoring those broadcast? 

One is the former minister of propaganda of North Korea, himself, 

defected. 

I have talked personally to a senior military commander from 

North Korea who defected, and a single civil servant that also defected. Both told me the same thing: keep those broadcasts going, 

because even though it is only the elites right now in North Korea 

that have the radios, they are monitoring it. If you are ever going 

to have a chance of the truth going through that society and ever 

have a chance should the unthinkable ever occur and they be ordered to fire on their own people, this is an opportunity for them 

to really learn what is going on inside the country. 

Now, certainly, these broadcasts are much more effective. In the 

early FE80s, I had the opportunity in the East Bloc to talk to a 

lot of people. Nobody wants to tell you they are listening to those 

broadcasts. What did we find out afterwards from Valklahava, from 

Lec Walesa? They told us, they were listening to those broadcasts. 

And more than anything else, it shaped those societies. It prepared 

people. 

Lastly, I would just make the obvious point, which Congressman 

Rohrabacher, I think, wants to make. When we travel overseas, 

when I am in Vietnam, we go to the prisons. We talk to political 

149

dissidents. They don’t like it, but we ask them, how effective is the 

broadcast. They tell us, the broadcasts are essential. 

So my question to Mr. Flake would be, did you go to the prisons 

and did you ask those being held there, how they feel about these 

broadcasts? And I would yield. 

Mr. FLAKE. Thank you. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The 

question isn’t what I found out down there. The question is what 

our own Office of Cuba Broadcasting found out. They went down 

there and interviewed people. Just in 2001, they asked 1,000 Cubans if they had watched TV Marti. Nine-hundred-ninety-seven—

997 said no. 

Mr. ROYCE. Well, reclaiming my time. 

Mr. FLAKE. We know that it is jammed. 

Mr. ROYCE. On the television, it is jammed. Reclaiming my time. 

I just explained——

Mr. FLAKE. Radio, we want to double the funding for radio. 

Mr. ROYCE. I just explained that the Administration is working 

right now on new transmission technology, so that we will not be 

transmitting cite to cite, which the regime can jam. Instead, we use 

an alternative technology, which uses a plane, which transmits in 

a way that it cannot be jammed. Under those circumstances, knowing that now, would you withdraw your amendment? 

Mr. FLAKE. I will stipulate that and I would amend the amendment to say that as soon as that technology is available, then restore the funding; take it back from Radio Marti, where I am trying 

to put it. Radio Marti, some people do listen to it. It is just not as 

effective as it could be. We are trying to make it more effective. So 

to move it back, you bet, as soon as we can do it. But right now, 

it is a joke. Nobody watches it. 

Mr. ROYCE. Reclaiming my time. Since the Administration is 

working on this technology and since I believe that technology will 

be successful, I am opposing your amendment, because I think we 

are not far removed from the day when that television station can 

be heard by the people in Cuba. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank you. You know, it is a shame this matter—I will put you down on the list of speakers, Mr. Paul—it is a 

shame this matter wasn’t submitted to the Subcommittee, because 

this requires evidence, requires testimony from the State Department, from Radio Marti, the broadcasting board. This is an important subject and——

Mr. DELAHUNT. Would the Chairman yield? 

Chairman HYDE [continuing]. To have it dealt with on an amendment with all of us citing the Miami Herald——

Mr. DELAHUNT. Would the——

Chairman HYDE. Yes. 

Mr. DELAHUNT [continuing]. Chairman yield? 

Chairman HYDE. Yes, I yield. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. If the Chair would request the appropriate Subcommittee to conduct a thorough hearing, where evidence could be 

taken, where we could have people not just from the State Department, but from the exile community, from the Cuban-American 

community anywhere in this country, from any source that might 

150

be able to provide us information, I commend to my colleague to 

withdraw the motion. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman? 

Chairman HYDE. Yes, the gentlelady. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I would be more than happy 

to, as Chairperson of the International Operations and Human 

Rights Subcommittee, to have such a hearing. And, in fact, Mr. 

Delahunt and Mr. Flake, you can invite those famous Cuban dissidents with whom you meet, you know, the 12 Cuban dissidents 

that every congressional delegation is allowed to meet with. They 

are the Castro-Cuban dissidents. They have the Good Housekeeping seal of approval and they can come. They get to go to 

Paris—— Mr. DELAHUNT. Well, I think it is my time and——

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN [continuing]. And go to Cuba. I think——

Mr. DELAHUNT. I would like to speak——

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. It is not your time. 

Mr. DELAHUNT [continuing]. To the issue of the dissidents that 

we met with. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I have been recognized by the Chairman. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. They have earned their bona fides by serving in 

Castro’s prisons. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. They can come to Washington. They have 

been to Paris more times than I have. 

Chairman HYDE. This is my time and I want to censure myself 

for not thinking of this an hour ago. If the gentleman from Arizona 

will withdraw his amendment upon the pledge that your amendment will be an early business item before our Subcommittee on 

International Operations and Human Rights, chaired by the 

gentlelady from Miami, will the gentleman agree to that? 

Mr. FLAKE. Just in a minute, in a heartbeat, I would love to. I 

think that is an excellent suggestion. We need to hear testimony. 

Chairman HYDE. Is there any objection? 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, so ordered. Are there further 

amendments? 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment 

at the desk. 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Smith is recognized for an amendment. 

Would you designate the amendment? 

Mr. RADEMAKER. Amendment offered by Mr. Smith of New Jersey. 

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be considered as read. 

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, so ordered. The gentleman is 

recognized for 5——

[The information referred to follows:]

151

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. SMITH OF NEW

JERSEY

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 28, after line 3, insert the following new paragraph (and redesignate the subsequent paragraphs as appropriate):

1 ‘‘(3) To develop strategic goals after reviewing 

2 human rights reporting and other reliable assess3 ments to assist in determining programming and re4 source allocation.


78949j.AAB
152

Mr. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY. Mr. Chairman, I will just take a moment. This amendment strengthens sections 305, the authorities 

and functions section. I think it is a necessary amendment, to ensure that human rights are fully incorporated in the agency’s work. 

When resources are allocated, we simply, by having this language 

in the statute, need to know who needs it most. Strategic goals 

ought to be based on human rights criteria and this works, I think, 

in a mutually reenforcing way, with the other provisions of the 

pending amendment. 

Chairman HYDE. Is there any further discussion? 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. If not, the question occurs on the amendment. 

All those in favor, say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. Oppose, nay. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. 

Mr. Berman? 

Mr. BERMAN. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Cantor and I have an 

amendment at the desk. 

Chairman HYDE. The clerk will report the amendment. 

Mr. WEINBERG. Amendment offered by Mr. Berman and Mr. Cantor to the amendment of a nature of a substitute to H.R. 3969—— [The information referred to follows:]

153

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. BERMAN AND MR. 

CANTOR

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 45, after line 3, insert the following new section (and redesignate the subsequent section accordingly):

1 SEC. 310. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi3 tion to such amounts as are otherwise authorized to be 

4 appropriated for the fiscal year 2003, there are authorized 

5 to be appropriated $135,000,000 for the fiscal year 2003 

6 for the Broadcasting Board of Governors to expand tele7 vision and radio broadcasting to countries with predomi8 nantly Muslim populations and to support audience devel9 opment. 

10 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

11 on the date of the enactment of this Act.


78949k.AAB
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Chairman HYDE. Without objection, further reading of the 

amendment is dispensed with. The gentleman from California is 

recognized for 5 minutes, in support of his amendment. 

Mr. BERMAN. Thank you, very much, Mr. Chairman. We are talking about appropriating enormous amounts of supplemental funds 

and defense funds and other funds, to deal with the aftermath, the 

deterrence, and, hopefully, the turning around of this situation created by the terrorist attacks, both here and in other parts of the 

world. This amendment takes one part of this. Mr. Houghton 

raised earlier the question of the need to start talking about putting in real resources. This amendment authorizes $135 million to create a 24-hour Arabic language satellite television service in the Middle East and 

new television services and expanded radio broadcasts to countries 

with large Muslim populations in Central, South, and East Asia. It 

is based on proposals developed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors and we think it represents a very promising and cost-effective approach to combat incitement and anti-American sentiment. 

Mr. Gilman held a hearing last week with Mr. Ackerman. It was 

a hearing on the incitement in the Arab media. The Middle East 

Media Research Institute played a video with excerpts from Friday 

sermons that have been broadcast on official Palestinian authority 

television. Mr. Lantos and Mr. Ackerman sent copies of this video 

out. I urge you to watch it, when you have a chance, because when 

you see this, you understand how things could have devolved, notwithstanding the promise of Oslo, to the situation that we are in 

now. 

It contained some of the most vile, hateful statements you can 

imagine. It would have a terribly negative influence on any people 

and it has a terribly negative influence on the Palestinian people. 

Even Al-Jazeera, which at least is not government controlled, but 

it is a Qatar-based satellite TV station that has been very popular 

in the Arab world, lacks one key ingredient: objectivity. Many observers believe it has made a significant contribution to the growing anti-U.S. sentiment in the region. 

It is our interest to offer the Arab public a balanced alternative 

to these one-sided broadcasts. We earlier made efforts to start increasing and developing an independent and sensible approach toward Middle East radio. This is to follow up with Middle East television. It is in the tradition of surrogate broadcasting. It promises 

objectivity. The fire wall is maintained. And I would be happy to 

yield or, if he wants his own time, to my co-sponsor on this amendment, Mr. Cantor. 

Mr. CANTOR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, first of all, Mr. 

Chairman, I would like to thank you and Ranking Member Lantos 

for your leadership on the underlying bill and would also like to express my gratitude for the work of the gentleman from California, 

Mr. Berman, on this amendment, as well. 

I want to just concur with Mr. Berman’s statement. This amendment expands TV, radio broadcasting in the Muslim countries, and 

it does so at a very critical time. As we have seen after September 

11, the United States needs to provide a counterbalance to the 

anti-American television and radio programming in the predominantly Muslim countries. And this amendment would do that. It 

155

would establish a pro-American voice in a region where anti-American sentiment is higher than it has probably ever been. 

Once again, I thank my colleague from California for his leadership and I yield back. 

Chairman HYDE. Is there any further discussion? 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman? 

Chairman HYDE. Mr. Lantos. 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, just a sentence to express my very 

strong support for Mr. Berman’s and Mr. Cantor’s amendment. I 

think it is extremely appropriate and should be very effective. 

Chairman HYDE. The gentleman from New York, Mr. Gilman. 

Mr. GILMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise to strongly support the Berman-Cantor amendment. At our hearing last week, we 

made it clear that poisonous anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism 

permeate official and unofficial Arab media. That sort of propaganda will make it all but impossible to achieve a just piece in the 

Middle East region. We must do all we can to combat it and the 

Berman-Cantor initiative, as well as other initiatives in this bill, 

are important steps in that direction. 

I only want to add one note. It is impossible for our nation, even 

with all of this new activity, to drown out the voices of hate in the 

Arab world. They have been pervasive. It is a duty of responsible 

Arab leaders, not only to stop whipping up and inciting this sort 

of hate, but also to find it in their hearts to take the lead against 

it. Making this point must be the job of our diplomats and our political leaders. 

And I hope that President Bush will make this point explicitly 

in his ongoing meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Saudi 

Arabia regrettably is a source of much of this sort of incitement, 

incitement to murder, and the Saudi leadership must step up to its 

responsibilities. 

And I yield back the balance of my time and I thank the gentleman for yielding. 

Chairman HYDE. Thank the gentleman. Is there any further discussion? 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. If not, the question occurs on the Berman-Cantor amendment. All those—I am sorry. There were—— Mr. ROHRABACHER. Let me note, Mr. Chairman, I have raised my 

hand several times today and have been ignored by whoever on 

your staff is informing you about who is requesting time, and I resent that. 

Chairman HYDE. I’m sorry. I take full blame for that. I have not 

deliberately ignored you at all. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Well, certainly, the Chairman is not; but, certainly, the staff has been aware of my desire to speak on several 

issues and I resent that. 

Chairman HYDE. They have told me a couple of times and I have 

written your name down. They keep stealing my list. So, we will 

recognize you, to strike the last words, right now. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Thank you, very much, Mr. Chairman. I rise 

in support of this amendment, but I think that we need to note 

that, number one, the purpose of the amendment is to offset hateful rhetoric that is going on in Arab countries and throughout the 

156

region against the United States and against the Israeli people. 

That is a worthwhile cause, to try to bring information to them 

that will be balanced and create a more peaceful environment in 

that region. I support it. I support the expenditures of those funds. 

But let me, also, note that when we are talking about the level 

of rhetoric in that part of the world, there is just as much—I won’t 

say just as much, there is a great deal of hateful rhetoric coming 

out of Israel. And, yes, they have a free press there, free to broadcast what they want. There are many people with voices of hatred 

in Israel, who have their opinions printed and broadcast throughout that country. 

And let us not forget that we have to be a voice of moderation 

to both sides, try to appeal to the better hearts in the Arab world 

and the better hearts in Israel, who want peace, rather than just 

always focusing on the fact that there are people, who are overwhelmed with negative feelings and with feelings of vengeance for 

the killings that have been taken place for these last few decades. 

Yes, we need to have America’s voice there, to the Arab world, 

trying to present a more moderate picture and a more balanced picture. But, let us, also, recognize that in Israel, there are voices of 

hatred, as well, and go on record in saying those voices need to be 

confronted. We need to talk to the Israeli people, as well, and say 

that those voices, who are saying racist things about Arabs, also 

need to be confronted. 

I would be happy to yield to my friend, Mr. Berman. 

Mr. BERMAN. I thank you. I will be very quick. On the question 

of vile comments and horrible statements coming from people 

under Israeli jurisdiction, I couldn’t agree with you more. There are 

statements that talk about Arabs in the most demeaning and atrocious terms, that offer views that I find contemptible. But the difference is that the voices of peace and reconciliation and moving 

the process forward and debate and all views are aired there, there 

is no contrary view in many of these other areas. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. And that is why I am supporting your 

amendment. 

Mr. BERMAN. And that is why—I am happy to have your support. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. All right. 

Chairman HYDE. Is there further discussion? The gentleman 

from Michigan, Mr. Smith. 

Mr. SMITH OF MICHIGAN. Mr. Chairman, just I guess partially a 

question, a little bit of a concern, that sometimes we, if you will, 

cavalierly throw more money at the problem, hoping that is going 

to solve it. Hopefully, this bill will accommodate more effective use. 

But what this amendment does, as I understand it, is almost 

doubled the current authorization, from 155 million, to an additional 135 million, a substantial increase in funding. And how we 

phase into increasing that funding and the effectiveness of that additional money would be part of my concern in simply doubling the 

money and saying that we are not—we are going to do a better job 

by simply spending more money on broadcasting. 

I would love a response. 

Mr. LANTOS. I would be happy to respond, if the gentleman 

yields. 

Mr. SMITH OF MICHIGAN. Certainly. 

157

Mr. LANTOS. The President is requesting, in this very difficult 

and dangerous period for our country, tens of billions of dollars in 

additional military expenditures. They may be necessary. This 

amounts to 50 cents per capita, in winning the battle of ideas. It 

is an extremely modest request and it is an extremely appropriate 

placement of our priorities. 

We cannot win the war against terrorism globally purely by increasing the military budget, which I support. We also have to see 

to it that our ideas and values get through, and this is a singularly 

important step in that direction. 

Mr. SMITH OF MICHIGAN. If I may reclaim my time. We are sug- gesting today, in this discussion, that the $155 million, that is currently authorized, is not being used very effectively, and—— Mr. LANTOS. We are not suggesting——

Mr. SMITH OF MICHIGAN [continuing]. That is part of my concern. 

The bill tries to implement a system, where we are more efficient 

and effective, in terms of communicating some of our concerns. 

Mr. BERMAN. Would the gentleman yield? 

Mr. SMITH OF MICHIGAN. No, I will yield back my time. 

Chairman HYDE. A question occurs on the Berman-Cantor 

amendment or, as some would have it, the Cantor-Berman amendment, all those in favor, say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. Oppose, nay. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed 

to. The gentleman from New York, Mr. Crowley. 

Mr. CROWLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment 

at the desk. 

Chairman HYDE. The clerk will report the amendment. 

Mr. WEINBERG. The amendment offered by Mr. Crowley, to the 

amendment in the nature of a substitute—— [The information referred to follows:]

158

1

H.L.C.

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. CROWLEY

TO THE AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A

SUBSTITUTE TO H.R. 3969

Page 20, after line 8, insert the following new section (and redesignate the subsequent section accordingly):

1 SEC. 205. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONS OF CONFLICT 

2 JOURNALISM PROGRAM. 

3 Under the authorities of the United States Informa4 tion and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and the Mu5 tual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, the 

6 Secretary of State shall establish a program for foreign 

7 journalists and postsecondary students of journalism 

8 which, in cooperation with private sector sponsors to in9 clude universities, shall sponsor workshops and profes10 sional training in techniques, standards, and practices in 

11 the field of journalism to assist the participants to achieve 

12 the highest standards of professionalism. The Secretary 

13 shall give priority consideration to participants from re14 gions of conflict.


78949l.AAB
159

Chairman HYDE. Without objection, further reading of the 

amendment is dispensed with. The gentleman is recognized for 5 

minutes, in support of his amendment. 

Mr. CROWLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First, let me thank you 

for bringing this bill before us. I think every Member of this Committee is well aware of the problem that exists, not only in the 

Middle East and South Asia, but throughout the Islamic world and 

the world in general, I think, in terms of the approach that journalists take towards—their attitudes toward the United States. 

I laud your attempt, in this bill, to bring young journalists to the 

United States, to foster not only a better attitude toward the 

United States, but to foster better practices in journalism, in general, wherever that may lead. And I think the examples that they 

can learn from this country are very, very good ones, indeed. 

But, I just want to make it clear, that I don’t believe that the 

Middle East or South Asia is the only phenomenon that we should 

be concerned about. For example, in South Asia, the attack on the 

Indian parliament was reported quite differently by the Indian 

press, than it was by the Pakistani press. In India, it was made 

plainly clear that the attack was perpetuated by Pakistani terrorists, in conjunction with the Pakistani intelligence service. In 

Islamabad, the papers read that the incident was a product of an 

Indian plot to discredit President Musharraf in the eyes of America. This sort of blatant bias in the press on both sides is a significant factor in the subsequent military escalation that took place 

and drastically altered public opinion in both nations, making their 

opinions more solid behind each government. 

I believe that it is the responsibility of the media to report facts 

and not simply to spin the political agenda of the day. Unfortunately, the current practices of the media of the world do not follow 

those types of rules. 

I am asking, in this amendment, that we broaden the language 

beyond the Muslim or Islamic countries that you have pointed out 

in this legislation, to go beyond that to other regions of conflict in 

the world. The current bill provisions only, again, provide for programs for predominantly Muslim nations. I, for one, would suggest 

that when we have programs here that would encourage the 

Saudis, Egyptians, and Jordanians, as well as Palestinians, that we 

should also have Israelis in that program, or we should have with 

Pakistani journalists, Indian journalists. When we have Azerbaijani journalists, we should have Armenian journalists. That is 

where the conflicts are on both sides; not only their attitude toward 

the United States, but, again, toward each other. 

And if we are going to do this, we need to do it, I think, correctly. 

In this global war on terrorism, we find ourselves in Afghanistan 

today, but we don’t know where we will be tomorrow. And President Bush, himself, has said that we will go after terrorist cells 

wherever they may exist. He has also said this is not a war on 

Islam or Muslim nations. 

I believe that by passing this, it will broaden the scope of what 

I think you are trying to attempt and I think it is laudable what 

you are trying to attempt, but I think we need to do more. And I 

would yield back and ask——

Chairman HYDE. Would the gentleman yield? 

160

Mr. CROWLEY. Certainly, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HYDE. I want to commend the gentleman for a very 

useful concept. But, I want to plead with him to agree to rework, 

redraft his initiative for the time being, to a sense of Congress. It 

broadens the reach of this bill to the point where it may invite a 

veto, because you are looking at a global situation. The money that 

might be required, the personnel, the languages, we just don’t 

know what we are getting into. 

The idea is a good idea and ought not to be discarded. But, this 

bill is concentrating, I concede, on the Muslim world the gentleman 

is looking at the big, really big picture. I am not sure we can get 

from here to there, in terms of funding and resources. But, the idea 

deserves to be enshrined in the bill. If you would agree to have 

staff rework it, to make it a sense of Congress, I would certainly 

accept it and push the idea at every opportunity. 

Mr. CROWLEY. If the Chairman would yield. 

Chairman HYDE. Surely, 

Mr. CROWLEY. Before I agree to that, I would just express my desire to see that additional funding be put in place in the future for 

this, because I think, in terms of a cost that would be outlaid, we 

would be saving hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in 

potential conflicts around this world that we engage in. I appreciate——

Chairman HYDE. It is part of the answer, rather than the problem, I agree. 

Mr. CROWLEY. And I would be happy to work with——

Chairman HYDE. My suggestion is that you withdraw the amendment and between now and when we reach the Floor, we will get 

some language and incorporate that in a manager’s amendment. 

Mr. CROWLEY. I agree to do that. I will withdraw my amendment, at this time. 

Chairman HYDE. Very well. Are there further amendments? 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. If not, the question occurs on the amendment 

in the nature of a substitute as amended. All in favor, say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. All opposed, no. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it and the question occurs on the 

motion to report the bill H.R. 3969 favorably as amended. All in 

favor, say aye. 

[Chorus of ayes.] 

Chairman HYDE. Opposed, no. 

[No response.] 

Chairman HYDE. The ayes have it. The motion report favorably 

is adopted. Without objection, the Chairman is authorized to move 

to go to conference pursuant to House Rule XXII. Without objection, the staff is directed to make any technical and conforming 

changes. 

I want to thank the Committee for your long patience and I 

think we have done a good day’s work. The Committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 1:46 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

(161)

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD

FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE AMENDMENTS CONTAINED IN THE HYDE AMENDMENT

IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE FOR ORIGINAL TEXT OF H.R. 3969

The amendment in the nature of a substitute makes the following changes to the 

original bill, H.R. 3969: 

Section 102 requires the State Department to develop a comprehensive strategy 

for the use of public diplomacy resources. The amendment requires that this strategy be done in coordination with the US International Broadcasting Agency. In addition, the Secretary is to develop long term measurable objectives for public diplomacy in coordination with the US International Broadcasting agency. 

The amendment in the nature of a substitute adds a provision for the Secretary 

to reimburse the US International Broadcasting Agency for reasonable expenses for 

the State Department’s use of the broadcasting agency’s television studios or other 

facilities. 

In response to concerns expressed by the Administration, the requirement that 

25% of the new jobs created at the State Department be for public diplomacy was 

deleted. Instead, a finding that recognizes the efforts the Secretary has made in 

2002 to channel people into public diplomacy jobs was added. 

In Section 103, the reporting requirement for an annual plan on a public diplomacy strategy was consolidated. 

In Section 104, the requirement for foreign service officers to serve in at least one 

public diplomacy assignment in order to be qualified for advancement into the senior foreign service, and a reporting requirement on the public diplomacy training enhancements undertaken by the Secretary of State both were dropped. 

Section 105 was amended by deleting the requirement that the GAO be involved 

with the U.S. Commission on Public Diplomacy in a report and study of the effectiveness of public diplomacy programs. The section now requires that the Commission undertake this review. 

Section 106, authorizing programs to assist foreign governments in upgrading 

their public libraries, was moved from Title II because these programs are more appropriately funded under the heading of general public diplomacy rather than in the 

educational and cultural exchanges account. 

In section 107, the amendment reduces the earmark for public diplomacy programs funded by the Diplomatic and Consular Programs account in Fiscal Year 

2002 from $497 million to $298 million. This number reflects the current budget allocation for these programs, plus supplemental requests and the new activities authorization level in this bill. 

Section 201, at the request of the State Department, adds an exchange program 

in the library sciences. This complements section 106, but is funded out of the exchange account. 

The most substantial changes made by the amendment are in Title III—the reorganization of international broadcasting. The amendments clarify the purpose of the 

original bill, which was not to reduce the authority of the current Board of Broadcasting Governors, but to increase the efficiency of our broadcasting agency by putting day-to-day executive functions in the hands of a single full-time official, the Director of the U.S. International Broadcasting Agency. 

Section 301 of the amendment provides that the new agency will be headed by 

a Board of Governors. (The original bill had provided that the Director would be the 

head of the agency, subject to the supervisory authority of a Board for International 

Broadcasting.) Finally, section 301 provides for a Director to be appointed by the 

Board of Governors, and sets forth his authorities. (The original bill provided that 

the Director was to be appointed by the President.) The authorities of the Director 

162

under this section consist of administrative functions which were assigned to the 

Agency under the original bill. 

Section 302 of the amendment is similar to the original bill in that it sets forth 

the authorities of the Agency, which are similar to those assigned to the Board of 

Broadcasting Governors under current law. The amendment, however, omits certain 

functions that are purely administrative in nature and which are assigned to the 

Director in section 301. The amendment makes clear that the Board is to exercise 

these authorities, except where certain authorities can be delegated to the Director 

or to other officials or agencies. 

Section 303 of the amendment, dealing with the advisory role of the Secretary of 

State, makes no change in the original bill. 

Sections 304 through 310 of the amendment are substantially identical to sections 

305 through 311 of the original bill. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE JOSEPH R. PITTS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

• I am pleased that we are considering today the reauthorization of the microenterprise program.

• Effective foreign assistance can be vital to promoting global stability and fighting 

poverty, disease, and related problems.

• Microcredit is a crucial solution that helps lift people out of poverty, transforming 

their lives and stabilizing communities from the bottom up. It is one of the most 

effective and cost-efficient programs within our foreign aid budget. It is also an 

economically sound, even profitable, method of fighting poverty.

• In fact, in developing countries, the rate of repayment of well-established microcredit programs ranges from 95 to 99 percent—a repayment record that puts commercial banks to shame.

• Microcredit also enables poor people to support themselves financially over the 

long term, even after their micro-loans have been repaid. For example, in 1998, 

the World Bank found that in Bangladesh, extreme poverty among borrowers 

from the Grameen Bank was cut by over 70% within 5 years.

• Microcredit stabilizes communities from the bottom up by improving the nutrition, health and educational opportunities of a society’s poorest, most desperate 

members. It helps break the cycle of poverty and can help create a more stable 

world.

• I especially want to highlight the efforts of the Mennonite Economic Development 

Associates (MEDA), an international organization based in my district. MEDA 

brings hope, opportunity and economic well being to low-income people around the 

world through a business-oriented approach to development. They are a model in 

service and compassion. Their microenterprise programs are evidence that this 

model works.

• In closing, we must work to expand access to microcredit for the world’s poor. 

That’s what we are doing today, and this is why I am a cosponsor of this legislation. I thank the Chairman, Mr. Lantos, and Mr. Smith for bringing this legislation forward for our consideration today.

• I urge all Members of the Committee to support it.

• Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE HOWARD L. BERMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE

IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

• I’d like to thank all of those who were involved in crafting this legislation, which 

represents a significant improvement over current law.

• I’d also like to acknowledge the past efforts of our former colleague Sam Gejdenson, who had a strong interest in microenterprise and helped lay the groundwork 

for what we’re doing today.

• Microenterprise programs are a critical component of our international development efforts.

• They have proven to be an effective means of providing poor households with the 

financial tools needed to generate income, create savings and develop businesses 

to help alleviate poverty.

163

• This legislation not only increases authorized funding levels for microenterprise 

programs, but provides for the development of new tools to ensure that our funds 

are directed to those who need it most.

• I urge my colleagues to support the bill. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE BARBARA LEE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

I am pleased that this Committee is considering the microenterprise issue, and 

has done such excellent work to put together this bill, as microenterprise is a vital 

issue for the developing world, especially for Africa. 

Sub-Saharan Africa’s infant mortality rate is one-and-a-half times the world average. One third of all children under 5 in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from chronic 

malnutrition. An African child’s chances of entering a primary school are less than 

50 percent, and the rate of female enrollment is half that of males. 

The formal financial sector in African counties has not provided sufficient employment opportunities to the majority of Africans. Many of those excluded from participation in the formal economy (primarily the poor and women) have turned to the 

informal sector to generate income. In many African countries, the microenterprise 

sector employs as much as 80 percent of the economically viable population. Yet the 

World Bank estimates that less than 5 percent of the population in Africa has access to formal financial services. 

According to FINCA International (the Foundation for International Community 

Assistance), most if its borrowers in Africa are caring for AIDS orphans with the 

proceeds of their small businesses. With 40 million AIDS orphans expected in the 

world by 2020, we must expand support for microenterprise, especially in Africa and 

especially for very poor families—so that we can give people tools to deal with this 

human disaster. 

USAID has the expertise to help utilize the existing capacity in Africa for microlending and other services and to provide expanded resources to build capacity for 

increased investment. USAID must do more of this. That is why I am so pleased 

that we will be ensuring that half of all microenterprise resources will be directed 

to programs and services for the very poor. 

Given the great number of very poor people in Africa and the continent’s struggle 

with the AIDS pandemic, this is a vital priority for this region. 

I am pleased that this legislation will help better support efforts to serve the poorest people and women, and I thank Chairman Hyde, Ranking Member Lantos, Mr. 

Smith, Mr. Payne and Mr. Houghton for putting forward such a well-crafted measure.

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